China has enforced 14-day quarantine orders which would make it impossible for international exhibitors and visitors to attend ACLE. On top of that, on the 3^rd of July, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China jointly issued a COVID-19 Safety and Prevention Guidelines for the Organisation of Exhibitions, requesting that "large-scale, foreign-related exhibitions be held cautiously", with strict requirements including limiting the number of attendees.
 
"Under these circumstances and after several in-depth communications, the organisers, in view of the health and safety of our exhibitors and buyers and the impact on the exhibition, made the hard decision to announce that ACLE will be postponed from the 1^st to the 3^rd of September 2020 to the 31^st of August to the 2^nd of September 2021 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre".
 
Mr Li Yuzhong, Chairman of the China Leather Industry Association, commented: “The decision to postpone this year's ACLE is a prudent one, agreed by both organisers after many discussions and judgments. The purpose is to protect the interests of exhibitors and buyers. The postponement allows us to have sufficient time to make the next year's exhibition more fruitful and exciting. Facing the plight of the pandemic, the industry must well prepare for foreseeable challenges. But I am sure the pandemic is temporary, and everyone shall prepare fully for a brighter future.”