Warren Buffett says Berkshire Hathaways annual meeting will be held without shareholders due to the coronavirus pandemic

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• Warren Buffett announced Friday that Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in May will be held without shareholders. 
• “It is now clear, however, that 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 wrote.
• The meeting is still scheduled for May 2 and will be streamed by Yahoo. 
• Read more on Business Insider.

Warren Buffett announced in a letter to shareholders on Friday that Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting will be held without shareholders this year amid growing concern over the coronavirus pandemic.

“I very much regret this action; for many decades the annual meeting has been a high point of the year for me and my partner, Charlie Munger,” Buffett, 89, wrote in the letter. 

“It is now clear, however, that 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. Therefore, we will limit attendance to me, possibly Charlie, and several Berkshire employees who will deliver proxy votes.”

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The meeting is still scheduled for May 2, 2020. Yahoo will still live-stream the meeting, according to Buffett’s letter. 

Buffett also encouraged shareholders to send questions to journalists, who may be able to be in attendance. 

“It’s possible that one or more of the journalists that we listed on page A-2 of the 2019 annual report will be present to ask some of the questions submitted to them. We are deferring a decision on this matter, but encourage you to continue to send your questions to them.”