GENEVA – The postponed World Economic Forum 2022 will gather the global political and business elite this summer in its traditional home of Davos in Switzerland, its chief said Wednesday.

Klaus Schwab’s comments to Swiss daily Blick came after the annual meeting was postponed from January to “early summer” on Monday, over uncertainty linked to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

This year, the WEF also postponed the in-person meeting from January to the summer. They first suggested it be held at a luxury resort close to Lucerne in Switzerland, then switched to Singapore because of the Covid pandemic in Switzerland, before cancelling the event altogether.

When Blick asked Schwab whether the meeting would be held in Singapore, he replied: “No, it will be held in Davos.”

The WEF chief insisted that the 2022 meeting had been postponed until the coronavirus situation improved, not cancelled.

“The infection rates in Switzerland at the moment are some of the highest worldwide, which does not really inspire confidence,” he said.