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UPDATE: 2020 Geneva Motor Show Canceled at the Last Minute Due to Coronavirus

The global coronavirus outbreak has finally reached almost every corner of the world, with various public events or gatherings being either postponed or canceled altogether in countries where the pandemic is on the verge of exploding.
Ferrari F8 Tributo at Geneva 76 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/ Guido Ten Brink
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Following an extraordinary meeting of the Swiss Government's Federal Council, Switzerland is banning all public and private events where more than 1000 people will gather, casting a huge doubt over the start of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show.

The ban has come into immediate effect earlier today and is set to be applied at least until 15 March, as a last-minute response to the current developments of the coronavirus pandemic that is slowly taking over the world.

The Federal Council's top priority is to protect the population. It is responding to the latest developments in the coronavirus epidemic and has categorised the situation in Switzerland as ‘special' in terms of the Epidemics Act. This enables the Federal Council, in consultation with the cantons, to order measures that are normally the responsibility of the cantons.” said the official press release.

At this moment in time, the Geneva Motor Show's officials haven't issued any statements of their own, but since the ban comes straight from the government, there is a strong possibility that the show will be either canceled or postponed.

We will update the article when any official info is released, especially since the gates of Palexpo are supposed to open on Monday for journalists from around the world, with dozens of carmakers already being present or on their way to Geneva's premier exhibition space.

The news follows other canceled automotive-related events such as the 2020 Formula 1 Grand Prix, even Ferrari shutting down operations at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello because of the virus epidemic.

Europe's most important yearly automotive event was supposed to host quite a large number of premieres this year and plenty of carmakers are likely very unhappy right now, but the show's organizers don't have any say in the decision to cancel the event. That said, all those new car models will obviosuly still be revealed by each automaker in the following days.

UPDATE: It's official, the 2020 Geneva Motor Show has been canceled. You can read the organizer's press release below.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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