MWC will be an in-person event, despite Covid-19 concerns

[midian182]

A hot potato: Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest mobile trade show, takes place in Barcelona this June, and it will be an in-person event. Organizer GSM Association says there will be several Covid-19 protections in place, but that hasn't alleviated concerns that having 50,000 attendees from around the world in the same place will lead to a superspreader incident.

MWC was one of the first major events to be canceled due to the coronavirus last February. GSMA had fought long and hard to keep the conference going, but with LG, Ericsson, Nvidia, Sony, Amazon, Intel, Vivo, and many other companies pulling out, it was left with little choice.

This year’s MWC, which is being held in June instead of the usual February date, will be an in-person event—assuming GSMA gets its way. CEO John Hoffman told Mobile World Live that holding these shows “gives people a bit of hope, says let’s move away from the effects of Covid-19 and return to something normal.”

Hoffman cites MWC Shanghai as an example to follow for the Barcelona-based event. The Chinese version, taking place next week, will see 20,000 people in attendance, down from the 60,000 it attracted in 2019.

Around 50,000 people are expected to attend MWC Barcelona, half the normal 100,000 visitors. There will be several Covid security measures in place, including social distancing, mandatory mask-wearing, regular disinfecting, and touchless registration/information points, among others. GSMA is also asking everyone attending to have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of their arrival, and testing will be available at the venue.

China has Covid-19 mostly under control, having rolled out vaccinations and testing at pace. Its daily cases are rarely above 30, while Spain, where vaccinations are progressing slowly, has a seven-day average of almost 7,000 cases.

Should GSMA get its wish and an in-person event does take place, there are fears it could cause a surge in cases much like CES 2020 led to an infection spike in Las Vegas.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/88668-mwc-person-event-despite-covid-19-fears.html

 

[SirDigby]

Well this is just a bad idea

 

[Shadowboxer]

This is good news. Covid isn’t going anywhere so unless we want to permanently end any kind of event we are going to have to start finding ways back to normal.

 

[Uncle Al]

BAD MOVE. The spreader events have proven this kind of event to be bad news and it wouldn't be a bad move to inform any citizen of the US that if they leave the country to attend, they will not be allowed to return until they meet & pass all the criteria to prove they are clean. It's already be demonstrated that these events can be successfully held virtually .....

 

[ilovelinux]

China has Covid-19 mostly under control, having rolled out vaccinations and testing at pace. Its daily cases are rarely above 30.

We applaud TechSpot for acknowledging the Emperor-approved official case numbers.

We urge all skeptics to swiftly correct their mistakes and accept 30 as the correct number.

PSA, Emperors's office.

 

[VitalyT]

You can't feel bad for anyone stupid enough to attend it.

 

[Hexic]

Just as cases are dropping heavily... Humanity decides to host a global in-person event with paltry "COVID practices" to show they checked a box of, "Well, we tried".

Nice job. Perhaps we deserve to have COVID for a few more years, we clearly can't learn from recent history.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

FEAR FEAR TERROR NEVER SAFE ALWAYS PANIC FEAR WORRY TERROR.

China has it "under control" as you say, yet they have had almost no restrictions on daily life, things like water parks were open for months with no mask mandates. What narrative are you trying to support here Tech spot?

You're not suggesting that masks and social distancing and closing down the economy *doesn't* stop a highly contagious virus, are you? That would be most problematic.

I'd hope you are also not suggesting that *not testing* people is acceptable, because he who must not be named did that, and we all know that was unacceptable. But when china does it, it's ok? Interesting.

Just as cases are dropping heavily... Humanity decides to host a global in-person event with paltry "COVID practices" to show they checked a box of, "Well, we tried".

Nice job. Perhaps we deserve to have COVID for a few more years, we clearly can't learn from recent history.

Coronavirus is never going away. The whole point of the lockdowns was to "flatten the curve" for two weeks, not be this mutated year long catastrophe.

Let me ask you this, if low numbers, increasing immunity, and vaccinations efforts are not enough, and by your own mission things like masks and scoail distancing are not enough then what IS? What is the magic bar needed to start acting like people instead of bugmen again? Nobody seems to be able to quantify what is "ok", so let's here it. What hard numbers do you need for this to be ok to you?

BAD MOVE. The spreader events have proven this kind of event to be bad news and it wouldn't be a bad move to inform any citizen of the US that if they leave the country to attend, they will not be allowed to return until they meet & pass all the criteria to prove they are clean. It's already be demonstrated that these events can be successfully held virtually .....

No one is forcing you to go. You can hide in your house forever, get your groceries delivered, and never go outside again. Doesn't mean everyone is going to hide forever, especially when the very government that locked everyone up is finding whatever excuse they can to get people back outside now that THEIR man is in charge.

 

[Hexic]

Coronavirus is never going away. The whole point of the lockdowns was to "flatten the curve" for two weeks, not be this mutated year long catastrophe.

Let me ask you this, if low numbers, increasing immunity, and vaccinations efforts are not enough, and by your own mission things like masks and scoail distancing are not enough then what IS? What is the magic bar needed to start acting like people instead of bugmen again? Nobody seems to be able to quantify what is "ok", so let's here it. What hard numbers do you need for this to be ok to you?

Coronavirus is never going away, that is about the extent of fact stated thus far.

The whole point of lockdowns was to 'flatten the curve' - correct. Except that lockdowns either:
(1) Weren't implemented in time
(2) Weren't implemented all at once, for the entire population, in all areas
(2) Weren't implemented as actual 'lockdowns' (You could still go to pubs, restaurants, without masks until months into the pandemic)
(2) Weren't implemented at all

So the two-week lockdown to 'flatten the curve' effectively didn't happen because of "mah rights", and fearmongering. It wasn't taken seriously, congrats - you get what we got.

As far as hard numbers - there's only one that matters to directly and unequivocally answer your question: Vaccinations. It's easy to track, easy to understand (allegedly), and will answer your own question.

To further profess these "numbers" - The UK has 24.3 doses administered per 100 people. The US has 16.68 doses administered per 100 people. The EU has only 5.19 doses administered per 100 people. Worldwide, we have 2.37 doses administered per 100 people. There are your facts, and they don't support having large, intercontinental gatherings of people all in one spot. Are we ready for the masses of statistically unvaccinated individuals gathering all in one place, from worldwide audiences? Absolutely not.

Masks help, when utilized properly. Social distancing helps, when utilized properly. What we have learned as society is that humanity is too bull-headed and ignorant to perform simple tasks that reduce transmission rates (see my comment above about no masks being enforced in pubs).

The magic bar is not magic at all. It's vaccinations, like all pandemics before us. This is nothing new, and should not be a surprise. If you'd like next summer to be as close to a pre-COVID summer and stay that way, then suck it up for a little longer, wait for the vaccinations that are already being distributed, and life will improve dramatically faster than ignoring real science, facts, and prioritizing self-promoted "freedoms" and fearmongering off of no viable statistics.

/E: Updated stat numbers to reflect numbers as of 16FEB 2021

 

[Shadowboxer]

The magic bar is not magic at all. It's vaccinations, like all pandemics before us. This is nothing new, and should not be a surprise.

Actually it is. Which pandemic was previously ended with a vaccine? Spanish flu wasn’t ended with a vaccine, it ended with people getting fed up of hiding from a virus. There has never been a vaccine developed anywhere as quick as these covid ones. Let alone a global pandemic stopped by a vaccine.

Also, I live in the U.K. and there are lots of headlines about vaccines being returned to us because they don’t work against the new strains. No one has ever successfully created a vaccine against a coronavirus because they mutate too often.

I’m not a monster, I don’t want others or myself to catch the virus. But on the other hand I think it’s delusional to believe that this pandemic will be ended with lockdowns or a vaccine. There is incredibly little evidence that lockdowns had much effect on infection rates in the U.K.

This pandemic will end the same way all previous pandemics have ended, with the virus running its course and people getting fed up with hiding from a virus and deciding to live their lives. I’m one of those people, we only get one life and I’m still young (ish). I don’t want to waste my last years of youth to improve the chances of the elderly.

 

[Hexic]

Actually it is. Which pandemic was previously ended with a vaccine? Spanish flu wasn’t ended with a vaccine, it ended with people getting fed up of hiding from a virus. There has never been a vaccine developed anywhere as quick as these covid ones. Let alone a global pandemic stopped by a vaccine.

Also, I live in the U.K. and there are lots of headlines about vaccines being returned to us because they don’t work against the new strains. No one has ever successfully created a vaccine against a coronavirus because they mutate too often.

I’m not a monster, I don’t want others or myself to catch the virus. But on the other hand I think it’s delusional to believe that this pandemic will be ended with lockdowns or a vaccine. There is incredibly little evidence that lockdowns had much effect on infection rates in the U.K.

This pandemic will end the same way all previous pandemics have ended, with the virus running its course and people getting fed up with hiding from a virus and deciding to live their lives. I’m one of those people, we only get one life and I’m still young (ish). I don’t want to waste my last years of youth to improve the chances of the elderly.

Past pandemics that vaccines have prevented the recurrence of (or obliterated to very small levels of threat):
-Influenza (ironically enough - without the common Flu vaccine, hundreds of millions more of us wouldn't exist) - specifically the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu, 1957-1958 pandemic, 1968 pandemic, and 2009 pandemic.
-Polio
-Smallpox
-Cholera

If you research the deadliest known pandemics in history, you'll find Influenza a crowd favorite.

While understanding that new strains are a guarantee - this doesn't negate the need for vaccination. There have been successful vaccines for COVID-19 produced, and they're in the arms of citizens as we speak.

Be careful not to downplay the need for vaccines when instead it looks like your problem is the efficacy of said vaccines when introduced to new strains. Those are two completely different issues, and unfortunately are commonly tied together as one issue.

The pandemic will end either way - the root question is, will we combine vaccinations with common social distancing practices + inherent herd immunity to reduce the amount of casualties, or will those who don't believe they're in the "risk category" (which has been disproven), simply state: "Well, I'm young, screw the old people, immuno-compromised people, and anyone who may have an adverse reaction that's worse than mine might be - because I'm young and I want to live my life without social responsibility."

There's a fine line there, and it's childish to think only of yourself and not others.

 

[Shadowboxer]

Past pandemics that vaccines have prevented the recurrence of (or obliterated to very small levels of threat):
-Influenza (ironically enough - without the common Flu vaccine, hundreds of millions more of us wouldn't exist) - specifically the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu, 1957-1958 pandemic, 1968 pandemic, and 2009 pandemic.
-Polio
-Smallpox
-Cholera

If you research the deadliest known pandemics in history, you'll find Influenza a crowd favorite.

While understanding that new strains are a guarantee - this doesn't negate the need for vaccination. There have been successful vaccines for COVID-19 produced, and they're in the arms of citizens as we speak.

Be careful not to downplay the need for vaccines when instead it looks like your problem is the efficacy of said vaccines when introduced to new strains. Those are two completely different issues, and unfortunately are commonly tied together as one issue.

The pandemic will end either way - the root question is, will we combine vaccinations with common social distancing practices + inherent herd immunity to reduce the amount of casualties, or will those who don't believe they're in the "risk category" (which has been disproven), simply state: "Well, I'm young, screw the old people, immuno-compromised people, and anyone who may have an adverse reaction that's worse than mine might be - because I'm young and I want to live my life without social responsibility."

There's a fine line there, and it's childish to think only of yourself and not others.

I think lockdowns are incredibly selfish. I don’t want a lockdown, I would absolutely rather live a normal life and take my chances and no you don’t know what’s best for me, nobody does. I do know that looking at the statistics we have, that I am far far more likely to die if I ride my motorbike than if I catch covid and ride my bike most days. This isn’t an opinion but a fact. I’m also not an anarchist and will comply for a time but not for too much time. I’ve just booked a bunch of flights for the latter half of this year, Im not willing to put my life on hold any longer. I could understand if there was strong evidence that lockdowns were effective. But there isn’t. You mathematically can’t point out on most graphs of infection rates where that country implemented a lockdown.

Polio smallpox and cholera are absolutely nothing like this global pandemic and the vaccines to stop them took years and years to develop. It’s an awful comparison. There has never been a global pandemic like this one ended with a vaccine, I’m not an anti-vaxxer, I think we should have them as as you say, they are still somewhat effective. However vaccines will not end this pandemic. And neither will social distancing. At this point I have far more fear for the restrictions than I do of the virus.

 

[havok585]

Well this is just a bad idea

No it isnt.

Covid fears need to die.

Covid is a joke, you know why ? because most people that die dont die from covid, but from other conditions, covid is just the excuse.

I know (not read on the fking internet) real people that had covid and close friends that say the effects are BS.

Common cold (influenza) is more dangerous than this charade of a "pandemic".

Just as common cold comes and goes every spring and fall and vaccines exist for influenza since 80 years ago, it still wont get you rid of it permanently.

You will get covid eventually , all of us will.
Learn to deal with it and not succumb to government's fear tactics or political games.

Take the vaccine if you really need it, dont take it if you know you never had big issues with common cold for example (people die from common cold every year by the millions).

Your own body will develop antibodies in the long run ( just like venom if taken in small quantities will not kill you, your body on the long run will create better cells to fight the venom and diminishing returns will appear on daily dose taken).

Humanity will prevail when you take your foggy glasses off and clean them.

 

[terzaerian]

The worst thing about COVID is that it's basically primed the whole planet to ignore the next pandemic by crying wolf over a coronavirus, which will be really bad if that pandemic is something really serious, like antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

 

[paul1122]

Acting like I care.......How many people died this year from this virus, and how many people are still alive this year?

 

[p51d007]

It's a VIRUS. Until it mutates out and becomes dormant it will never leave. Funny though...you never hear of FLU deaths...just "corona" deaths. The corona virus, IS the flu. Covid-19 is just another version of the "flu" virus. This one is just a little worse, but the death rate is still within the range of global flu deaths. When something has a 98+ percent survival rate, everyone goes all nuts because of how the CDC, WHO, media and politicians treat it.
Just cracked me up last spring when this all started. Everyone running around buying up all of the toilet paper, for an upper RESPIRATORY virus. Sheep, easily controlled.

 

[8600M GT]

This is a bad idea. Events like these prolong the conditions that lead to overwhelmed medical systems and lockdowns. Why was South Dakota the leading part of the U.S. in cases per capita six months ago? Because they encouraged super spreader events.

The Spanish government should only allow this large of event if everyone who attends is required to be vaccinated. This would somewhat limit attendance, but by June there should be enough vaccine that you could still have an event, even if not everyone could attend it yet.

 

[cliffordcooley]

About time!

If we continue to give in to paranoia. We will never get back to normal.

 

[jpuroila]

Coronavirus is never going away, that is about the extent of fact stated thus far.

The whole point of lockdowns was to 'flatten the curve' - correct. Except that lockdowns either:
(1) Weren't implemented in time
(2) Weren't implemented all at once, for the entire population, in all areas
(2) Weren't implemented as actual 'lockdowns' (You could still go to pubs, restaurants, without masks until months into the pandemic)
(2) Weren't implemented at all

So the two-week lockdown to 'flatten the curve' effectively didn't happen because of "mah rights", and fearmongering. It wasn't taken seriously, congrats - you get what we got.

Actually if the goal is to flatten the curve, most countries have had far too FEW coronavirus cases. If not for the vaccine, we would be on a permanent lockdown because having 7000 daily cases in a population of 50 million means that there never will be any sort of herd immunity(especially since COVID keeps mutating, thus acquired immunity isn't necessarily permanent).

 

[cliffordcooley]

I don’t want to waste my last years of youth to improve the chances of the elderly.

That is where I slightly disagree. None of our feeble attempts actually improved those chances. If anything we made everything worse.

 

[nismo91]

The main problem of this pandemic is simply that it brings a spotlight to which nation could control most of their people and another spotlight for other nation which fails miserably.

with people all over the world pointing fingers at one another, such a huge international event could possibly generate more numbers of bad headlines than good ones.

bad idea is a bad idea period

 

[paul1122]

Friday night and bars are open in MN.

 

[sunseeker007]

This is good news. Covid isn’t going anywhere so unless we want to permanently end any kind of event we are going to have to start finding ways back to normal.

Finally..someone who uses common sense. You dont lock down or quaratine HEALTH people. DUH!

 

[sunseeker007]

BAD MOVE. The spreader events have proven this kind of event to be bad news and it wouldn't be a bad move to inform any citizen of the US that if they leave the country to attend, they will not be allowed to return until they meet & pass all the criteria to prove they are clean. It's already be demonstrated that these events can be successfully held virtually .....

Wrong answer my friend. Time to sharpen your brain and do some research. Let me help you!

California has been the most restrictive state during Covid, Florida the least. Here’s what happened with Covid-19:

California’s total number of COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the population is about 8.8%, while Florida’s is about 8.3%. Out of all of the people in California who have gotten COVID-19, about 1.35% have died, while in Florida, it’s about 1.57%, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Over the past seven days, Florida has recorded 322 cases and 7.4 deaths per million people, while California has recorded 231 cases and 10.5 deaths per million people. In terms of hospitalizations, Florida has 218 per million people, while California has 244.

 

[sunseeker007]

FEAR FEAR TERROR NEVER SAFE ALWAYS PANIC FEAR WORRY TERROR.

China has it "under control" as you say, yet they have had almost no restrictions on daily life, things like water parks were open for months with no mask mandates. What narrative are you trying to support here Tech spot?

You're not suggesting that masks and social distancing and closing down the economy *doesn't* stop a highly contagious virus, are you? That would be most problematic.

I'd hope you are also not suggesting that *not testing* people is acceptable, because he who must not be named did that, and we all know that was unacceptable. But when china does it, it's ok? Interesting.

Coronavirus is never going away. The whole point of the lockdowns was to "flatten the curve" for two weeks, not be this mutated year long catastrophe.

Let me ask you this, if low numbers, increasing immunity, and vaccinations efforts are not enough, and by your own mission things like masks and scoail distancing are not enough then what IS? What is the magic bar needed to start acting like people instead of bugmen again? Nobody seems to be able to quantify what is "ok", so let's here it. What hard numbers do you need for this to be ok to you?
No one is forcing you to go. You can hide in your house forever, get your groceries delivered, and never go outside again. Doesn't mean everyone is going to hide forever, especially when the very government that locked everyone up is finding whatever excuse they can to get people back outside now that THEIR man is in charge.

BRAVO! EXCELLENT REPLY!