The Geneva Motor Show looks likely to fall victim to the coronavirus, after the Swiss government announced on Friday morning that it was banning large public and private gatherings until at least mid-March.
The announcement comes after a week of horse-trading between the Geneva show organisers and car manufacturers, many of whom have been pulling out senior executives and engineers from show appearances over concerns about the virus and possible quarantine situations.
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Switzerland reported fresh cases of the virus this morning. But sources say the motor show organisers have been awaiting a government instruction on the event’s viability, potentially because of insurance implications.
However, Bloomberg is reporting this morning that the authorities have now decided to ban public and private gatherings with more than 1,000 people until 15th March at the earliest - following a similar policy by the neighbouring German government. This relatively small number of people is likely to make the car show impossible to stage - although no official notification from the show has been forthcoming.
Dozens of new-car launches and reveals are planned for the event, which was due to open with its traditional press days on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
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