San Francisco's main tourism industry group told attendees of the now-postponed Game Developers Conference that the health department says "the risk to the general public is low" – the actual quote is "the risk to the general public is currently low, the global picture is changing rapidly."

The GDC web page devoted to giving attendees the latest virus updates fails to mention San Francisco's state of emergency and links to old health department information.

Tourism agency responds that "We quoted sources directly and did not in any way misrepresent the facts."

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A San Francisco tourism industry association released a letter this week to people registered for the now-postponed Game Developers Conference that sought to allay coronavirus fears while using partial and selective quotes from city officials.

The quotes used by the San Francisco Travel Association appeared to play down the city's assessment of the risks, while organizers of the conference — the largest annual event for video game developers — have failed to mention San Francisco's recently declared state of emergency in the updates posted online about the conference and the coronavirus.

The travel association responded Friday that "We quoted sources directly and did not in any way misrepresent the facts."

The situation underscores the fluid and quickly evolving nature of the coronavirus epidemic and the efforts by businesses and industry groups to respond to a health crisis that threatens to wipe out millions or more in lost business. The GDC gaming conference is one of several large upcoming tech events in San Francisco, and comes after the cybersecurity-focused RSA conference saw several large companies drop out due to coronavirus fears.

Large companies including Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Facebook, and Amazon dropped out of the GDC conference, which was scheduled to take place from March 16 to 20. On Friday, conference organizers announced that it was "postponed" until "later in the summer."

In a letter dated February 25, San Francisco Travel Association CEO Joe D'Alessandro told registered attendees of the GDC show that "We want you to know that, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, 'There are zero confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in San Francisco, and the risk to the general public is low'."

The health department website that D'Alessandro's letter links to said:

"Although there are zero confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in San Francisco residents, and the risk to the general public is currently low, the global picture is changing rapidly and we need to step-up preparedness." (Italics added.)

The quote D'Alessandro used was published in gaming blogs this week and his letter was linked to by The Washington Post.

D'Alessandro said the health department updated their online statement since the letter was sent, and that the agency's website still says there is no recommendation to cancel social gatherings at this time. He noted that his letter linked to the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Homeland Security. "If our intent were to obfuscate or sugar-coat this situation, would we have been so forthcoming with this information?" he asked.

Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco's director of health, said this week that "This is a global outbreak that is entering a new phase, and we must be prepared." He added, "This is not business as usual."

The health department told Business Insider on Friday morning that its current statement about the city's virus situation is: "Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, we are stepping up our preparedness in case that changes. The global picture is changing rapidly, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm."

Coronavirus patients have been treated at University of California, San Francisco Hospital, including one evacuated from a Japanese cruise ship and taken to Travis Air Force Base where a whistleblower complaint from a federal healthcare employee says evacuations were done unsafely. Northern California reported its second case of community transmission of the coronavirus in two days on Friday.

The coronavirus death toll surpassed 2,900, with more than 85,000 infected.

Updates don't mention San Francisco's "state of emergency"

The same day that D'Alessandro's letter was published, San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in the city due to the coronavirus, which the travel association's letter noted. Breed and the department of health stressed that the emergency declaration is to help the city prepare in case the virus situation there worsens.

But the city's emergency declaration, albeit a proactive measure, was not included on a web page published by the GDC conference organizers designed to "keep the GDC community appraised of the latest updates" and "new information." The web page links to a February 4 letter from the health department stating that it is "not recommending the cancellation of public events at this time."

GDC did not respond to a request for comment on its posted virus updates.

Breed's office said Friday that "There have not yet been any cases of novel coronavirus originating in San Francisco and the City continues to encourage people to attend events and conferences, while taking steps to reduce the likelihood of getting sick by washing hands with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home in case of illness."

D'Alessandro's tourism group reports San Francisco convention attendees spend an average of $567 per day.