Two days after the Entertainment Software Association announced that E3 2020 is still happening, despite concerns over coronavirus, the city of Los Angeles, where the show takes place, has declared a state of emergency as a result of the virus and it's spreading up and down the west coast. News of state of emergency prompted a new update and statement from the ESA, which more or less repeats what its initial statement on the situation was.

"The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority," reads the statement. "While the ESA continues to plan for a safe and successful E3 show June 9-11, 2020 -- we are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily."

The statement continues:

"Our E3 team and partners continue to monitor COVID-19 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We are actively assessing the latest information and will continue to develop measures to further reduce health risks at the show. The city of Los Angeles, which has declared a state of emergency, offered the following guidance:

The state of emergency allows the city and county to qualify for additional funding needed to prepare for COVID-19 in the future, if such funds are needed at all.

City officials will continue to prioritize measures and guidelines that are focused on cleanliness and safety.

The city of Los Angeles website is a source for local information.

The ESA concludes its thoughts on the situation and the latest development, noting that this is not a one-time evaluation. Rather, the organization will continue to monitor the coronavirus and evaluate new developments as needed.

"Again, please know that we will continue to evaluate new developments and provide updates, as needed."

At the moment of publishing, E3 2020 is still on, but at this point the show is certainly in danger, especially if the coronavirus outbreak gets worse in the United States. Right now, the virus is seemingly being contained, but who knows what the weeks and months ahead of us have in store. As you may know, many events -- within gaming and beyond -- have already been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns, so it would certainly be reasonable for the ESA to call the show off. However, E3 does represent half of the organization's earnings, which will undoubtedly play a big role in the decision making.



Posted: Mar 05, 2020 1:44 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/2020/03/05/e3-2020-coronavirus-los-angeles-state-of-emergency/