Apec goes virtual due to pandemic

Auckland’s planned Apec summit is all but cancelled as the Government has decided the meeting will ‘‘go virtual’’ due to Covid-19. The AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conference was due to be held in Auckland during November next year, but the coronavirus pandemic has changed New Zealand’s mind about hosting world leaders. Foreign Minister Winston Peters yesterday said the summit would be held virtually, as otherwise thousands of people would have had to have entered New Zealand from Covid-19 hotspots long before the meeting started. ‘‘We simply couldn’t guarantee these people would be able to enter New Zealand without being quarantined,’’ Peters said.