The impact of the Coronavirus outbreak is now visible as two major brands- ZTE and LG are moving away from taking part at the upcoming Mobile World Congress tech show which will kickstart on February 24 in Barcelona. MWC is the world's largest tech show for smartphones and various brands take part. South Korean brand, LG, has been an integral part of MWC every year, but this year, it will skip the show. LG will instead launch the planned products at separate events in the coming months. ZTE, on the other hand, is also skipping the show because of the virus outbreak. Coronavirus is spreading to several countries at a rapid pace and it is expected to continue over the next few weeks as well.
MWC 2020 Expected to Majorly Impact Due to Coronavirus
The first brand to cancel press conference at the MWC tech show was ZTE which was followed by LG. While ZTE did not issue any press statement, LG did confirm publicly that it doesn't want to "needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel." Furthermore, the brand also confirmed that it would launch the planned products at separate events in the coming weeks.
We believe that this is just the beginning and other brands may soon cancel their press conferences at MWC due to Coronavirus. Samsung, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Realme and various other brands already confirmed their presence. CNET reports that Xiaomi and Samsung are looking to take part in MWC. But both the companies will surely keep an eye at what is happening with Coronavirus across the globe.
LG usually launches new flagship 'G' series device at MWC every year, so everyone expected the brand to launch LG G9 ThinQ at the MWC 2020. Nevertheless, the company might launch the same device even before MWC 2020 or right after the major tech show at a separate event.
GSMA Adds New Measures to Avoid Disinfection at MWC
GSMA, also known as the GSM Association, introduced new measures which should be followed by the attendees of MWC to avoid any disinfection of Coronavirus. GSMA advices all the attendees to adopt a "no-handshake policy." Furthermore, the organisation will also install new signage onsite to remind attendees of hygiene recommendations.
As of this writing, Coronavirus has killed at least 427 people, as confirmed by the World Health Organisation. The virus has already made its way to 25 countries and over 20,000 confirmed cases including three from India have been reported.
