Google I/O 2020 fully cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Google has completely canceled its flagship “I/O 2020” conference. The company has confirmed on Twitter that the digital-only event will also not happen. “Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities – and in line with recent ashelter in place’ orders by the local Bay Area counties – we sadly will not be holding I/O in any capacity this year,” Google said on the I/O website.

“Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. Please know that we remain committed to finding other ways to share platform updates with you through our developer blogs and community forums,” it added.

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Google has also said that “We remain committed to sharing ongoing Android updates with you through our developer blogs and community forums.” Google first announced the cancellation of its annual tech event on March 3 due to coronavirus outbreak all over the world. The search giant even asserted that attendees will be refunded. Also, those who purchased tickets for this year’s event will be given the option of buying a Google I/O 2021 ticket.

Google is not the only tech company to cancel its annual event. Biggest brands like Apple, Facebook, Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, and Salesforce have already postponed their annual conferences. Besides, Google recently started sending notifications to users in a bit to fight against the on-going global pandemic coronavirus. This notification was part of a public service announcement (PSA) in partnership with the “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”

The notification directed users to a Google search result for the term “Coronavirus tips.” To help stop the spread of coronavirus, Google is asking users to wash hands as often as possible. The second tip is to use your elbow to cough into to ensure that you don’t spread any airborne viruses. Third, don’t touch your face as it may be a virus hotbed. The fourth tip asked users to maintain a safe distance from one another. The last tip as part of the PSA asked users to stay at home if they felt sick.

With inputs from IANS