Coronavirus in India: Companies Cancel On-ground Events, State How Technology can help in this Situation

While the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in India now stands at 28, technology companies, leaders and other organizations are taking all measures possible to prevent the spread of the virus. As health organizations across the world are advising people to avoid crowded places, some companies have announced that they are cancelling their events throughout March.

Xiaomi India, in view of the Coronavirus outbreaks in certain parts of the country, has cancelled product launch events on-ground in March. “Redmi Note series over the years has seen some of the biggest product launches in India with thousands in attendance. Xiaomi India team has always cherished these launches and the time spent with Mi Fans as well as media friends as a result. In that spirit, we have an important update for you. We won't be holding any launch events on-ground through March. While we’ve been planning for this launch for months, we believe this is an unprecedented yet extremely important step,” said a statement from Xiaomi.

“We are taking this decision with the objective of reducing exposure risk to Coronavirus COVID-19 for our Mi fans, media friends, partners and Xiaomi employees,” added the statement. Xiaomi India also said that this decision was taken as there are also instances of asymptomatic carriers, meaning a person could be a carrier of the virus without exhibiting any symptoms of the flu. Those who wish to see the next Redmi Note launch, can watch the live stream on Xiaomi India’s social media handles and mi.com.

Apart from Xiaomi India, NASSCOM has also announced a similar decision. “As an industry that is people first and one that puts the safety of employees at the forefront, NASSCOM is rescheduling all its key on-ground events for the next few weeks. Let's all stay safe and stay connected through technology!” tweeted NASSCOM.

How Technology can Help in Preventing the Proliferation of Coronavirus in India

Apart from watching launches through live streaming and staying connected through the Internet, several tech workers have opted to work from home to prevent the spreading of Coronavirus in India. Several companies have asked their employees to work from home to avoid the risk of getting contaminated.

Twitter is asking all of its employees worldwide to stay away from their offices until further notice to avoid spreading the Coronavirus. This message has been posted on the company’s official blog. “Working from home will be mandatory for employees based in our Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea offices due in part to government restrictions. Our criteria will evolve over time as we get more information, and we will communicate to affected Tweeps as appropriate,” says Twitter.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman Mahindra Group, too seems to be advocating that employees work from home. “The crisis will pass, but I think it’s making the world press a permanent ‘Reset’ button. 1) It’ll accelerate working from home 2) lead to more digital ‘virtual’ conferences 3) More video calls, less meetings.4) Less air travel, leading to a greener footprint. Anything else?” he asks on Twitter.

However, while taking precautions is the right thing to do, leaders and organizations are also requesting citizens of India to maintain calm and not panic. “There is no need to panic. We need to work together, take small yet important measures to ensure self-protection,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.