The Affect of Coronavirus continues on tech world, LG to stay out of MWC.

Photo by Ilan Dov on Unsplash

After Coronavirus affected the production of Apple's iPhones and continues to do so, now Mobile World Congress which will be held every year in February at Barcelona, Spain, is also affected by the new virus outbreak, companies like LG have announced that they are not participating in this year's MWC.

Mobile World Congress is a popular show, a showdown of the new line up of phones from different manufactures around the world, a show completely dedicated to mobile technology, and participating in MWC means a lot of international travel for Company's employees.

International travel is not recommended due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, Coronavirus is a  very easily transmittable virus, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that

"MERS and SARS, the other two coronaviruses that have emerged to cause serious illness in people, have been known to cause some person-to-person spread. With both those viruses, person-to-person spread most often occurred between close contacts, such as healthcare workers and those caring for or living with an infected person"

We've seen cases of coronavirus reported outside of China even though they're are not as high as in China, LG in a press release concerning Mobile World Congress has said that

"With the safety of its employees and general public foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. This decision will prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised"

While ZTE who manufactures mobiles phones like Oppo said that they will be attending the MWC but their employees who attended the show will undergo two weeks of self isolation. GSMA,the company that organizes MWC clarified that there will be no change of plans for this year's MWC, Spokesperson of GSMA,  told Reuters

"We have spoken to LG and regret not to see them at this year’s MWC20 Barcelona"

GSMA  is taking measures to contain any spread of Virus at the event and advises attendees to adopt a 'no-handshake policy.' so far no other company has announced about withdrawing from MWC, LG said that it will hold separate events to unveil their 2020 lineup of phones.