Next month’s New York International Auto Show has been rescheduled for August due to concerns over the outbreak of Coronavirus in the U.S. The move comes just weeks after the Geneva Motor Show, originally scheduled for last week, also had to cancel.
The New York Auto Show was supposed to open for media on April 8. It will now return August 28 instead. Here’s a statement from the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, who organise the show:
While the decision to move the show dates didn’t come easy, our top priority remains with the health and well-being of all those involved in this historic event. We have already been in communication with many of our exhibitors and partners and are confident that the new dates for the 2020 Show will make for another successful event.
It’s likely bigger reveals, which were expected to include the recently-leaked Ford Bronco Sport, will continue as scheduled, or a few days later, via livestream, as that’s what many automakers did following the cancellation of the Geneva show.
Last week, the event’s organisers claimed nothing at the Javits Centre, where the auto show is held every year, would be cancelled. A few days later, on March 7, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, almost immediately negating whatever organisers may have initially had planned.
The state of emergency followed news that there were at least 89 cases of Coronavirus in New York, with 12 in New York City as of Saturday. Yesterday, the head of the MTA advised against travelling on the city’s subways if it could be avoided.
In the U.S., the New York Times claims that, “at least 955 people in 36 states and Washington, D.C., have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a New York Times database, and at least 29 patients with the virus have died.”
Globally, all of Italy has completely shut down and ordered quarantine after suffering the second-worst outbreak outside of China, where the virus is believed to have originated. Bloomberg reports at least 117,674 confirmed cases and 4,205 deaths worldwide.