Coronavirus forces two 3D/additive shows in China to be postponed

With the rapid spread of the Coronavirus in China (with more than 350 deaths and more than 14,000 people infected) and its spread to 16 other countries worldwide, two Chinese additive manufacturing shows – TCT Asia and Asiamold – have been postponed to later dates. New dates for the fairs are to be announced in due course, said statements from the organisers.

TCT Asia was originally scheduled to take place in Shanghai from 19-21 February and Asiamold 2020 from 26-28 February at the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou. A related show to Asiamold, the SIAF Automation Guangzhou Fair, will also be postponed, following the notice by the Guangdong Province Department of Commerce on 24 January to suspend all large-scale events due to the Coronavirus outbreak, said the organiser.

According to the TCT show organiser, “After studying and evaluating the announcements, guidance and news released by relevant national departments and in order to protect the health and safety of our exhibitors and visitors, we are sorry to announce that TCT Asia will be postponed to a later date.”

Meanwhile, Hubert Duh, Chairman of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt, organiser of AsiaMold said, “The wellbeing of all our stakeholders is paramount, so following the announcement by the Guangdong government to strengthen the epidemic prevention efforts by suspending all large-scale trade and economic events, we immediately began taking steps to postpone these two fairs to a later date.”

He added, “We are in communication with the relevant government authorities and venue owners about rescheduling the fairs later this year, but due to the evolving situation in the country, it is too early to provide any details on this.”

The latest outbreak of the pneumonia-like virus has had the global economy in a jittery mood, akin to the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, that hit the country nearly two decades ago.

The virus, suspected to have originated at an animal and seafood market in Wuhan, has spread like wildfire over the Lunar New Year holiday period, which traditionally sees hordes of Chinese people heading back to respective home towns to celebrate the annual new year holiday. The city of Wuhan has been in a lockdown since, with little movement in and out of the city in a bid to curtail the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, multinational companies are limiting travel to China, and those operating in China have shut down, like Google (though Google doesn’t operate its main search engine in China due to the country’s restrictions, the company has advertising and sales staff in four offices) and Starbucks, which has closed more than half of its 4,300 outlets in China, its second largest market. Yum China Holdings, operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell stores in China, and McDonald’s Corp. have also shut down retail outlets, as have the parent company of retailer H&M and the Ingka Group, which operates Ikea stores. Apple Inc. has reduced store operating hours in China.

Airlines, like British Airways, Indonesia’s Lion Air and American Airlines, have also suspended flights to the country whilst workers/students returning from China to respective countries are being quarantined or being asked to work from home.