Coronavirus and tech: Ongoing list of event cancellations, disruptions, product delays, and more

March 18, 2020: U.S. government closes Canada border for non-essential travel

• The U.S. government is readying a massive $1 trillion stimulus, including $250 billion in direct checks to Americans. A government plan to combat the coronavirus suggests the pandemic could last 18 months.
• The U.S. is also closing its border with Canada for non-essential travel, and while trade will not be affected, it’s clear that countries are locking down to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Google was set to conduct an online-only version of its Cloud Next event, but the search giant has mentioned that it is delaying the event indefinitely.

March 17, 2020: Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Reddit are working together to fight coronavirus misinformation

• Major tech companies — including the likes of Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit — are uniting to fight misinformation on the coronavirus. Google in particular has been very proactive in taking down coronavirus-related hoaxes and fraudulent posts, and the move further strengthens collaboration between various platforms.
• Verily’s coronavirus testing site has hit full capacity in just a day, and it is now not taking on any more users. Google has also mentioned that its informational site on the virus will be going live later this week.
• Mint Mobile is providing all customers with unlimited high-speed data between now and April 14. Furthermore, anyone that purchases high-speed data add-ons will be 100% reimbursed by the company.
• Uber is getting rid of its carpooling feature in the U.S. and Canada as the ride-sharing service tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Lyft is also temporarily stopping its carpooling option, but this extends to all markets that it’s offered in.

March 16, 2020: Verily’s coronavirus screening website goes live in San Francisco Bay Area, fake texts, and Android malware

• Verily’s coronavirus testing website is now live for residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. The move comes after the Trump administration inadvertently announced that Google is building a nationwide testing site for COVID-19.
• Google was caught off-guard when Trump announced the details of the site and mentioned that 1,700 engineers were on the task. Over the last two days the Google provided more insight into what’s actually going on. Verily — another organization under the Alphabet umbrella — is the one that’s building the coronavirus testing site, and for now it is limited to residents of the Bay Area.
• Google, for its part, is rolling out a website that provides more information on the coronavirus by pulling in details from the likes of the CDC and WHO. The search giant is already promoting advice like “Do The Five”, which includes public guidelines on how to limit the spread of the virus.
• Today, the White House National Security Council tweeted the text circulating about the president declaring a two-week national quarantine is fake. Instead, the WHNSC advises people follow the CDC for the latest information regarding the novel coronavirus.
• Security researchers DomainTools discovered there is a ransomware app for Android disguised as a coronavirus tracker. The app will lock your device with a password threatening to erase everything and leak your social media accounts online if you don’t pay the ransom. The CovidLock app should only affect phones running older versions of Android because Google has added protections against the flaw starting with Nougat. If you get locked out by the ransomware, using the password “4865083501” without the quotes should get you back into your phone.

March 13, 2020: Amazon asks all employees to work from home, Microsoft Build goes online, and sports leagues shut down

• Microsoft’s annual developer event will now be held online. Microsoft Build was scheduled to take place in Seattle, but with the city becoming a hotbed for the virus, Microsoft is putting the safety of the community first.
• Amazon is asking over 750,000 employees around the world to work from home. The move doesn’t target its fulfilment division, and the retailer set up a $25 million fund to meet the needs of its fulfilment staff.
• NCAA cancels March Madness over coronavirus fears. NHL followed suit, and MLB will delay Opening Day by at least two weeks. The PGA Tour has also been called off.
• Formula 1 and the FIA have decided to pull out of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne over coronavirus fears. The sporting body waited until the last minute to make a decision, even as a team member from McLaren was tested positive, leading the team to withdraw from the event. The Bahrain Grand Prix will go along as planned, but will be held without any fans in attendance.
• IPVanish has launched a promotion on its VPN service offering 63% off for 3 months plus 250GB of free SugarSync cloud storage. This could come in handy for streaming media from other regions to stay entertained at home and for file sharing if you now have to work remotely.
• Google warns that customers needing to access support may have longer wait times due to “operating with a limited team.” This applies to hardware platforms like Pixel and Pixelbook, as well as software like Google Drive.
• Google and the U.S. government are collaborating on a new coronavirus screening site. President Donald Trump says Google has “1, 700 engineers” working on it.

March 12, 2020: Twitter asks employees to work from home, U.S. bans travel from Europe as coronavirus becomes a pandemic

• Twitter has ordered all employees globally to work from home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• In an unprecedented move, the U.S. has banned travel from most European countries for 30 days. 26 countries are affected, including Germany, France, Belgium, Finland, and Denmark.
• The NBA has shut down the 2020 season until further notice after a player has tested positive for COVID-19.
• The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic, with the organization urging countries to work together to contain its spread. This is the first coronavirus to be dubbed a pandemic, and with the virus already claiming over 4,500 lives, it is deadlier than SARS.
• Samsung is now offering free cleaning services for Galaxy phones, the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds. It’ll use UV-C light which kills viruses, bacteria, and miscellaneous germs and is less abrasive than wipes and other cleaning chemicals.

March 11, 2020: E3 won’t be taking place this year

• Owing to the “alarming levels of spread and severity” of the outbreak, the World Health Organisation has officially classified COVID-19 as a pandemic.
• One of the gaming industry’s biggest events won’t be taking place this year. E3 has been officially canceled over coronavirus fears, with the three-day event originally scheduled to take place from June 9 – 11. It’s a big blow to the gaming industry, and it is possible we’ll see brands announce new games in dedicated virtual events.
• Google is now recommending that all of its North American staff work from home. The search giant previously told full-time staff in San Francisco, Dublin, and Seattle offices to work remotely, but that is now being extended to cover all of North America.
• The Mountain View giant has now expanded that recommendation to include all staff in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well.

March 10, 2020: U.S. stock market plummets, China’s phone segment sees a massive 54.7% YoY decline

• Phone shipments in China have taken a massive hit in February because of the coronavirus outbreak. South China Morning Post notes that year-on-year figures were down by a staggering 54.7%, with the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi significantly affected. Apple’s shipments were also down by over 50% last month.
• Huawei will now unveil the P40 series in an online-only event. The manufacturer planned an event in Paris on March 26, but has switched to a virtual event because of the coronavirus.
• Major tech companies took a massive hit as the stock market witnessed its worst day since the 2008 meltdown. Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon cumulatively lost over $300 billion worth of value in one day.

March 9, 2020: Tech companies recommend remote work as COVID-19 spreads in the U.S.

• The U.S. now has over 500 cases of COVID-19, with 21 confirmed deaths. Major tech companies — including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook — are encouraging their employees to work from home to limit the spread of the outbreak.
• Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter have also committed to paying hourly wage workers during the outbreak. With these companies switching to remote work for full-time staff, hourly workers like security guards and janitors will be paid in full even if they’re asked to stay home.
• Stanford University, University of Washington, Seattle University and Northeastern University’s Seattle campus have all switched to online-only classes for the rest of the semester.
• Xiaomi has donated thousands of masks to the Italian government in a show of solidarity. The tech firm included a quote from Roman Philosopher Seneca to drive the sentiment home: “We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden.”