Mobile World Congress cancelled in Barcelona over coronavirus fears
The Mobile World Congress , the annual telecoms industry gathering that draws more than 100,000 visitors to Barcelona, was cancelled on Wednesday after a mass exodus by exhibitors due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement followed a crisis meeting of the GSMA board, after its hand was forced by the pullout of anchor European members including Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, BT and Nokia. “There is no evidence at present to suggest that there is community spread outside China, so WHO is not currently requesting that large gatherings are cancelled," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told Reuters in Geneva.
But he said that large gatherings of people with many international guests posed a particular risk: "To take this risk would be irresponsible." "Where there is no ban and businesses make their own commercial decision, I cannot see the market paying out," Edel Ryan, who is on the Special Risks team at broker Marsh JLT Specialty, said before the GSMA's decision.
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