The Sarasota Institute has cancelled its "The New Age of Health in the 21st Century" symposium on Saturday, March 7. With three confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Manatee and Hillsborough counties, the Institute says it "felt it was inappropriate to have potentially 400 people attend." In addition to the senior hospital executives who were to be in attendance, many doctors were also scheduled, and all agreed with the hospital executives that postponement was the right decision. 

The March 7 symposium, titled “The New Health Age of the 21^st Century,” was to have been the third in a four-part series planned by The Sarasota Institute this spring to highlight the big questions facing Sarasota, the world and the United States. Topics previously addressed were the future of education and the future of climate change. The fourth program in The Institute’s spring season is currently scheduled for April 25 at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. All members and all those registered for the March 7 event will be notified via email of the postponement, as well as when the rescheduled date has been set.