Google canceled the I/O developer conference due to coronavirus. The event, which was scheduled for May 12-14, was canceled due to the risk of infection of the participants, TechCrunch writes with reference to the company’s message sent to potential participants by mail.
I/O is one of the largest and most significant conferences for developers in the world. It was first held in 2008 and since then every year has been held in early May. This is the first time that Google has canceled an event in its entire history, the publication notes.
“Due to concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), WHO and other health authorities health guidelines, we decided to cancel Google I/O. In the coming weeks, we will be exploring other ways to host the event to continue to build our developer community. We will continue to update the Google I/O website”
All participants who purchased tickets will receive a refund of their expenses, and will also be able to buy a ticket for the next event in 2021 without participating in the lottery. To offset the economic impact of the cancellation, Google is committed to providing $ 1 million to local organizations to support small businesses.
As of March 4, 92,801 people fell ill with coronavirus worldwide, 3201 people died, 50691 people recovered. The virus was found in 76 countries, and the main foci are South Korea, Italy, Iran and China.
