Berkshire Hathaway makes annual meeting purely virtual

(Reuters) – Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said on Friday it will hold its annual meeting as scheduled on May 2, but without shareholders in physical attendance due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The meeting will be live-streamed on Yahoo as usual, Buffett said in a letter to investors.

“Large gatherings can pose a health threat to the participants and the greater community. We won’t ask this of our employees and we won’t expose Omaha to the possibility of becoming a “hot spot” in the current pandemic,” Buffett said.

All special events scheduled for the shareholder gathering have also been canceled.

Physical attendance at the meeting will be limited to Buffett, Vice Chairman Charlie Munger and several Berkshire employees who will deliver proxy votes.

“Charlie and I will miss you, but we will see many thousands of you next year,” Buffett said.

The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation of several large sporting and tech events and countries race to stem the spread.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)