Coronavirus outbreak kills Google I/O 2020, co may host online-only event

Google I/O 2020 joins the long list of tech events that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Moneycontrol News

March 04, 2020 / 11:03 IST

Google has cancelled its annual conference, Google I/O 2020, citing coronavirus concerns. The company is currently finding new ways to host its developer conference, which will now most likely be an online event.

“Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), we have decided to cancel this year's physical event at Shoreline Amphitheatre. It's sad that we won't be able to gather as a developer community, but your health and safety is our priority,” Google said.

The company has also sent out emails to attendees who had registered for the event and assured refunds for their tickets. “All guests who have purchased tickets to I/O 2020 will receive a full refund by March 13,” the statement read.

Further, registered guests for Google I/O 2020 will be granted an option to purchase next year’s conference tickets.

Google I/O 2020 joins the long list of tech events that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Mobile World Congress 2020, GDC 2020, Facebook’s F8 and the Geneva Motor Show were cancelled for the same reasons.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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