China: Beijing auto show postponed amid deadly coronavirus fear

The biannual auto show of Beijing in China, one of the industry's mega-events is being postponed amid the fears of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the reports. The organisers of the mega event, Auto China 2020, reportedly said on February 17 that the event originally scheduled for April 21-30 in Beijing would be shifted to an undetermined date. The global manufacturers of the automobile companies seek to grow their sales in China's mega-event but recently the market for cars, trucks, vans and luxury vehicles slowed down. 

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Major events to get affected

This is the latest major event in China to be postponed due to virus fears. Many other major events will also get affected which include the Shanghai Formula 1 Grand Prix, other sports events, a major art festival in Hong Kong and a telecom conference in Spain. China is also aiming whether to postpone the meeting in March of its ceremonial parliament which is a major political event of the year. 

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Coronavirus claimed 1,868 lives in China

The death toll for the novel Coronavirus hit 1,868 in the last 24 hours in mainland China. As per the Chinese state health committee, it has increased by 98 in just one day. The committee also added that the number of confirmed cases has gone up by 1,886 to 72,436. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. About 1,701 people have recovered from the disease, whereas, a total of 12,552 coronavirus patients have by now been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. The death toll for n-Coronavirus has surpassed the tolls from the SARS epidemic of 2002-03. The origin of the virus has been linked to the local seafood market of Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province in central China. Few of the countries currently affected by the virus include Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India, and the United States.  

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Amidst the scare, many countries have restricted their citizens from travelling to mainland China. Few countries have also set up health camps at airports to screen the passengers arriving from the East Asian countries. The Indian aviation regulator - Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on February 9, issued a statement saying that the foreigners, who went to China on or after January 15, will not be allowed to enter India. 

READ: Coronavirus Death Toll Increases By 98 To 1,868 Within 24 Hours In China