The World Economic Forum has been postponed until May and has been relocated to the city of Lucerne and nearby Bürgenstock, forum organizers announced on Wednesday.

The delay was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The meeting will take place as long as all conditions are in place to guarantee the health and safety of participants and the host community," forum managing director Adrian Monck said in a statement.

He said the meeting would have the theme of "The Great Reset" after the pandemic and that it was aimed at building a "more cohesive and sustainable society."

"The meeting will focus on the solutions required to address the world's most pressing challenges," he said.

However, there will still be a virtual summit called "Davos Dialogues" in the week of January 25.

The in-person meeting normally draws thousands of government leaders, business executives, think thanks, activists and policymakers.

Switzerland, much like most of western Europe, has been hit with a resurgence of coronavirus cases in recent weeks. On Wednesday, it announced that daily cases had jumped over the 1,000-mark for the first time since April 1.

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset urged the country to be vigilant in applying basic measures to control the spread of the virus.

aw/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)