Coronavirus has hit hard on the tech industry and on public events. Last week, it was announced that one of CS:GO’s biggest tournaments, IEM Katowice would be played in an empty arena with no audience due to Governer's orders. The latest casualty is the Game Developer’s Conference, which got panned has a lot of big players decided not to show up. Now, E3 2020 might be facing cancellation.
Yesterday, the city of Los Angeles declared a health emergency after a few cases of Coronavirus were reported in the city. As a result, ESA, the organisers of E3 2020, released a statement saying that they are “monitoring and evaluating” the situation daily:
The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority. While the ESA continues to plan for a safe and successful E3 show June 9-11, 2020—we are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily.
Our E3 team and partners continue to monitor COVID-19 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We are actively assessing the latest information and will continue to develop measures to further reduce health risks at the show.
The city of Los Angeles, which has declared a state of emergency, offered the following guidance:
The state of emergency allows the city and county to qualify for additional funding needed to prepare for COVID-19 in the future, if such funds are needed at all.
City officials will continue to prioritize measures and guidelines that are focused on cleanliness and safety.
The city of Los Angeles website is a source for local information.
Again, please know that we will continue to evaluate new developments and provide updates, as needed.
E3 2020 is scheduled to take place on June 9th. It is a lot of time between then and now, so we haven’t lost all hope.