Crypto Executive Tests Positive for COVID-19, Urges Event Attendees to Take Precautions 

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted markets across the world, with both stocks and commodities trading down and becoming more unstable for the past month. Cryptocurrencies haven’t been spared as well, and while the effects of the virus haven’t been as bad on the crypto market, it’s still rather extensive. 

Sadly, the COVID-19’s effects have also had a profound effect on events across the space, as conferences and shows have either been temporarily postponed or canceled outright. 

Time to Get Checked 

The organizers of one such event, however, were headstrong in their desire to headline their program, and it would seem that they’re now paying the price. Earlier today, Zhen Yu Yong, the co-founder of blockchain login service provider TotrusLabs, tweeted that he had tested positive for the COVID-19. 

I fell ill yesterday and have just been diagnosed with #COVID2019. Everybody who had close contact @EthCC_ or @ETHLondon with me should take extra precautions and/or get tested

— Zhen (@zenzhenyu) March 11, 2020

In his tweet, he explained that he would be taking additional precautions to stay healthy and rid himself of the virus, adding that anyone who attended the recent ETHLondon hackathon and the Ethereum Community Conference (ECC) should do the same. The hackathon held between February 28 and March 1, while the ECC held between March 3 and March 5 in Paris. 

Both events had a significant number of people attending, and given how rapidly the COVID-19 virus has spread, any one of them could be a carrier of the virus. As Zen urged, everyone who graced the occasion is now at imminent risk of the virus and could very well have been infected. To be safe, precautions and tests should be conducted immediately. 

The COVID-19 outbreak has had massive effects on various events, with several countries being hit particularly hard. In Italy, public gatherings have now been frowned upon, with conferences and sporting events being either called off or modified to ensure that the threat of the virus is effectively contained. 

Events Closing Down as COVID-19 Runs Unchecked 

Many in the crypto space around the world have come to understand the risks posed by conferences at this time, and many of them have also taken proactive steps to ensure due diligence. The organizers of the Paris Blockchain Week 2020 recently announced that they had postponed their festivities until December 9, as the French government instituted a ban on large indoor gatherings for the time being. 

Elsewhere, the TRO Foundation has also announced that it would be postponing its niTRON Summit, which was initially slated to hold between February 26 and March 1 in Seoul, South Korea. Given how close South Korea is to the epicenter of the virus, however, it was almost immediately impossible for the event to hold. 

As of last week, a notice on the summit’s website confirmed that the organizers had decided to suspend the event for the time being, while a new date (and perhaps even a new venue) will be announced as progress is being made with combating the virus. The TRON Foundation added that they would be providing refunds to people who purchased tickets, although there are also options to entice ticket purchasers from the refund option.