This shouldn't come as a surprise after the MWC trade show was canceled yesterday, but the CP+ trade show in Yokohama, Japan has been canceled.
From the organizers:
Given there is no effective treatment or containment measures to deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), organizers of CP+2020 have decided to cancel the event due to overall concerns, mainly the risk to the health and safety of visitors and exhibitors. The event was originally scheduled to be held over 4 days at PACIFICO Yokohama from February 27.
Interesting. What are "wet markets" and why are they so bad?
This virus, like SARS and many other RNA viruses, originated in local bats. At some point it transitioned from bats to an amplifier species (likely civet) and then crossed to humans. If you look at the attached picture from a Chinese wet market, it's easy to see how viruses can easily cross the species barrier. It is the perfect environment for zoonotic diseases.
The Spanish flu in 1918-1920 caused millions of deaths (very difficult to estimate the exact death toll due to so many variables, including detection, confusion and even hiding stats from self/other countries during the end of WW1 / The Great War, due to the psychological impact on own population and other countries).
I am sad for the people who have died, the many many suffering, and of course those who have lost friends and family to this disease.. as well as some of the consequences, e.g. some racism towards people of Asian appearance or origin.
What this means for photography - in many ways is not 'hugely meaningful' - but is still significant. There are many electronic components of cameras (and lenses) made in China, and indeed, some assembly of gear is also conducted in China... as well as other parts of the supply chain.
It has already delayed certain manufacturing processes (of electronic and photographic products).
I'm not being flippant here, but hopefully the coronavirus situation will stabilise, people will get better soon... and, if its at all possible - the production of photography gear can resume.
Most importantly, though - is that people can recover, and effective treatment can be administered (and hopefully a vaccine can be developed and administered in a timely fashion too).
I look forward to seeing / reading / hearing more details of the R5, and ultimately testing it, and deciding if I will buy it in due course.
But in the meantime, I'm very thankful to be healthy, and I pray for all those affected. And I will take photos and appreciate using / enjoying with my existing gear (with that usually being the 80D and a variety of lenses, and at times the M5 too).
PJ
Scientists have now traced the virus to having originated from the animal pangolin brought to China from Africa.
Staying at home does not make you much safer unless you really self-quarantine in your house without any contact to the outside world.
Personally I would be very angry if the Olympics were cancelled. I had to pay about $400 per night for an 11 square metre hotel room in a (at normal times) very cheap hotel and that money is not refundable. For me that is quite a lot of money. I am not rich and I am so much looking forward to visiting my third Olympics after Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016. I did not make any vacation at all last year, because I had to save all my money for the Olympics.
Of course I do not want to catch the virus, but I do not see how staying in Germany (where we also have some cases) instead of Japan should save me from catching the virus. Actually if you even live in a dangerous country like the US, staying at home might statistically even be more dangerous than visiting Japan, where crime is almost non-existant. Also inside a plane you are statistically safer than outside a plane. So cancelling flights will cause many deaths.