The spring gathering of finance ministers and central bankers held in Washington in April will be shifted to a "virtual format" due to the coronavirus epidemic, the IMF and World Bank said according to AFP.

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass said in a joint statement that "given growing health concerns related to the virus," they will switch "to a virtual format" for the meetings set for April 16-18.

Read the full statement here.