With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, CP+ 2022 has decided to cancel the in-person venue, and move entirely online. This really is no surprise – I personally canceled my hotel reservations in early January because I didn't think it was going to be possible to go to Japan for CP+ this year. See you all next year I hope.
The press release (machine translated)
CP+2022 Pacifico Yokohama venue event cancellation
The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA: Chairman Shigeki Ishizuka), a CP that was scheduled to be held for four days from February 24th.+2022 Pacifico Yokohama Venue Event has been canceled and it has been decided to hold it online alone.
CP+2022 is an event to be held in the Corona disaster, with “safety and security of visitors and exhibitors” as the most important matter, and on the premise of taking thorough safety measures, we aimed to hold a hybrid between the Pacifico Yokohama venue and online. We have been preparing.
However, due to the rapid expansion of Omicron strains since the beginning of the year, the number of infected people and close contacts is increasing rapidly, and the supply of antigen test kits is tight, which is hindering safe event management. In addition, looking at the current infection situation, it is unlikely that the number of infected people will decrease significantly by the end of February, and it will be unlikely that the event will be held safely and securely. The psychological anxiety of the people is in a situation that cannot be wiped out.
As the organizer, I have always kept an eye on the corona infection situation and took all possible measures, but I give top priority to the safety and security of visitors, exhibitor staff, and all other people involved in the event. As a result, CP in this situation+We decided that 2022 should not be held in real time, so we decided to cancel the Pacifico Yokohama venue event and hold it online alone.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to many customers who have been looking forward to the event at Pacifico Yokohama for the first time in three years, but we appreciate your understanding.
We also sincerely apologize for the announcement of the cancellation just before the event.
You can continue to enjoy online events with your registered ID and password.
We look forward to your participation in the online event.
February 7, 2022 Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA)
Contact: CP+2022 Secretariat Email: [email protected]
Online event will be held as scheduled
It's fair enough, IMO, that the richer nations vaccinate their own tax-payers first - after all, the primary role of any government is to protect its own people.
But in poorer countries, vaccination levels are still very low (for a variety of reasons), and while that remains the case, new mutations will constantly arise.
We've been very lucky that Omicron has turned out to be less harmful than Delta, but it's quite possible that the next variant to sweep the world could be devastating.