LG Electronics and ZTE said they cancelled plans to participate in MWC later this month in Barcelona, Spain, due to coronavirus-related concerns. Via a statement on its site, LG said it’ll skip MWC, the world’s largest mobile fair, and will launch this year’s releases at separate events “in the near future”.
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LG said that with the security of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, they are withdrawing from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020. The statement also mentions that this decision removes the danger of exposing many LG employees to international travel which has become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders.
China-based ZTE also announced today it’ll skip MWC today, saying it cancelled its news conference due to travel and visa delays, but also because they don’t want to make visitors uncomfortable.
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GSMA’s Statement
In a statement posted on its site, GSMA, which organises the MWC, said that it continues to watch and assess the potential impact of the coronavirus on its MWC20 events held annually in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles along with the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. The GSMA confirms that there has been minimal impact on the events so far.
All Barcelona events happening February 24 to 27 will continue as scheduled. GSMA previously announced the measures it’s taking to stop the spread of the virus, including increased cleaning and disinfection of high-traffic areas, like catering areas, handrails, bathrooms, entrances and exits and touchscreens and more onsite medical support. It also said it’ll have a “mic change protocol” for speakers, and advise all attendees to “adopt a ‘no-handshake policy.”
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