Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for books, will take place in October despite the coronavirus pandemic, the fair's supervisory board decided on Wednesday.

The trade fair will take place from October 14 to 18 and will hold events on the exhibition grounds, across the western German city as well as online virtual events.

The Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to 1949. In previous years, more than 300,000 visitors flocked to Frankfurt to see almost 7,500 exhibitors from more than 100 countries.

The fair's organizers said they are in discussions about how to guarantee the safety of visitors, exhibitors and employees.

"This year it is more important than ever to hold the Frankfurt Book Fair," said Director Juergen Boos.

"Due to the corona pandemic, the organization of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 is associated with a high degree of uncertainty," the book fair said in a joint statement with the German publisher association.

Organizers are assuming "there will still be a whole series of restrictions on events in October."

Germany has seen numerous large literature events canceled or relocated online due to the coronavirus pandemic, including the Leipzig Book Fair and the Lit. Cologne international literature festival.