As everyone has probably seen, the coronavirus is all over the news. It was first heard of in China but is now spreading across the world. How is this tech related? Well, due to this virus, MWC 2020 has been cancelled – directly due to the coronavirus. It has been said that it is ‘impossible for the GSMA to hold the event’. This is due to the regard of Barcelona’s safe and healthy environment. Of course, no one attending the event wants to spread the virus to anyone.
The Coronavirus?
At the moment, the coronavirus has infected more than 42,000 people with the death rate currently standing at more than 1,000. Hopefully, a cure will be found soon. Most of the cases of the coronavirus have been in Wuhan, China and the surrounding Hubei Province. However, there have been about 25 countries with reported cases. GSMA had tried to have increased disinfection measures on the site of the event. They recommended that people attending were not to shake hands with others and ban people from the part of China that was originally infected with the virus – Wuhan.
How Big is GSMA Really?
Just to get an idea about how big the event is. The GSMA is an industry that represents more than 1,200 companies with over 100,000 people attending MWC every year. This is the chance for many people to make themselves better-known in the industry, make partnerships and to make deals. As well as this, the event has a big economic impact (492 million Euros) and generates over 10,000 part-time jobs.
Brands Have Already Been Pulling Out of the Event
Before MWC 2020 was cancelled, many brands have already pulled out of the event due to fears of the coronavirus. For example, LG who pulled out earlier this month was followed by Nvidia, Intel, Vivo, Sony and Amazon. All of which being big phone distributors / manufacturers.
