WPT Tournaments in Asia are affected by the Coronavirus

[Shells]

With the Coronavirus claiming more than 1,600 lives in China alone, governments and organizations around the world are on high alert.

On February 14th, WPT's Danny McDonagh made public through Facebook, WPT Vietnam has been cancelled, and the inaugural WPT Taiwan will move from March to May due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

New Coronavirus Strikes Down WPT Events in Asia

 

[Poker_Mike]

With the Coronavirus claiming more than 1,600 lives in China alone, governments and organizations around the world are on high alert.

On February 14th, WPT's Danny McDonagh made public through Facebook, WPT Vietnam has been cancelled, and the inaugural WPT Taiwan will move from March to May due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

New Coronavirus Strikes Down WPT Events in Asia

It sucks but the illness is pretty serious.

The decision to cancel or reschedule events is probably best. You don't want to risk having a super low turnout. And canceling reduces the risk of the spread of the virus.

I hate playing live at a table full of coughing players that look like they were sent to make you sick with their contagion! - I would like to order the pot stickers - a beer - and two teaspoons of cough syrup!

Just for the record - studies have been done and show no transfer of the flu on cards and chips. But aerosolized virus transfer in close proximity is possible.

Good luck !

 

[RutgersOneTime]

I really hope this doesn't effect the wsop. even though I think it may and also may cancel the Olympics which stinks

 

[Shells]

I really hope this doesn't effect the wsop. even though I think it may and also may cancel the Olympics which stinks

It will stink if both of those events are postponed or cancelled. I'm thinking the virus needs to show signs of a downswing and soon!

 

[kucu2014]

If they can't find some miracle cure for the disease, it will be a disaster. Not only poker tournaments but all sports events are canceled. A few months from now, the Summer Olympics will be in great jeopardy. Very worrying and scary

 

[DS3]

The knock on effect is growing and far outside of Asia.

Those who follow the luxury watch industry (a multi-billion dollar industry) will know this past week Baselworld (the Swiss exhibition which features most of the worlds luxury manufacturers) got postponed to January 2021, due to fears of the coronavirus.

 

[DS3]

...and as a follow up to things Swiss, the Geneva Motor Show (one of the largest in Europe) has now been cancelled - the Swiss Government now banning public gatherings of over 1,000 people as of this past Friday.

If this sounds extreme bear in mind one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus is next door in Northern Italy...and the coronavirus is thought to have originated and spread from this region to other European countries.

 

[LotharMcDowner]

Unfortunate but definitely the best decision they can make. This won't be the last major event to get cancelled, if this gets bad we won't have time for that stuff anyways.

 

[DS3]

...this just keeps getting more alarming.

I was raised in a lovely rural part of the southern UK and went to a high school comprising of around 700 kids in total. The first reported case of coronavirus in the area has just been made and is a student at that high school who had recently vacationed in Northern Italy. Schools in the surrounding area are now closing.

 

[DixonHuenow]

I'm scared the whole poker industry is going to suffer. Only hope is that more people will play online.