Finance

Goldman Sachs asks some clients to skip New York conference amid coronavirus outbreak

Key Points
  • Goldman Sachs is asking attendees for a conference scheduled to be held by the investment bank next week to skip the event if they've recently traveled to countries worst hit by the coronavirus.
  • "In light of the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, Goldman Sachs has enacted several precautionary measures to ensure the wellbeing of our clients and our people," the bank said.
  • Goldman asked people who have traveled to mainland China within the last 14 days, South Korea as of Feb. 19 or the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy as of Feb. 22 to stay away from the event. 
Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Goldman Sachs is asking attendees for a conference scheduled to be held by the investment bank next week to skip the event if they've recently traveled to countries worst hit by the coronavirus.

The warning, for Goldman's eighth annual housing and consumer finance conference held at the bank's New York headquarters, was just added to the event's registration website.

"In light of the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, Goldman Sachs has enacted several precautionary measures to ensure the wellbeing of our clients and our people," the bank said.

Facebook cancels F8 Developers Conference due to coronavirus concerns
VIDEO0:5600:56
Facebook cancels F8 Developers Conference due to coronavirus concerns

It's the latest move by corporations seeking to protect workers from the coronavirus, which has roiled global stock markets this week amid signs the disease is spreading. On Thursday Facebook announced it was canceling an annual software developer conference held in San Jose, California, because of the outbreak. Morgan Stanley asked attendees of an upcoming San Francisco event to confirm online that they hadn't traveled to China, South Korea, Japan or Italy in the past two weeks, according to Reuters.

Goldman asked people who have traveled to mainland China within the last 14 days, South Korea as of Feb. 19 or the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy as of Feb. 22 to stay away from the conference, according to the post.

The warning also includes people who have "been in close contact" with people who have traveled to those areas, or travelers who have passed through airports and train stations in the affected regions.

The Goldman event typically draws established companies and start-ups in the mortgage, real estate technology and investment industries.