Editor’s note: This story will be updated as news is confirmed by Global News.
As of Thursday, there are more than 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the illness caused by the novel coronavirus — in Canada, according to Health Canada and Alberta health officials.
A man from a North Vancouver care home was announced as the first death in Canada related to COVID-19 on March 9. He had the virus a week before he died.
Other cases include a total of seven in Quebec along with Ontario cases emerging from the Ottawa and Hamilton regions after travellers came back from Austria and the United States.
But in the midst of these confirmed cases, there’s also been a shift in our day-to-day social lives. Companies have already started initiatives to allow employees to work from home, and countries like France have banned indoor public gatherings.
At home and in the U.S., several artists have postponed concerts, while Coachella, one of North America’s largest music festivals, postponed the event until October.
Here’s a list of major events, conferences and sporting events that have been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19.
Major sporting events
NBA: The NBA season is suspended after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The Toronto Raptors have been told to self-quarantine after they played against the Jazz two days before the announcement was made.
NHL: The NHL announced clubs would be advised not to conduct practices, skates and team meetings.
World Figure Skating Championships (Montreal): Quebec’s health ministry announced a cancellation on March 11.
NCAA Tournament (March Madness): NCAA president Mark Emmert announced on March 11 that scheduled basketball games will be played in front of limited audiences.
La Liga soccer league: Spain’s top soccer league has suspended all games and asked players of Real Madrid to self-quarantine after one tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Inter Milan soccer club: The soccer club suspends all games after Juventus FC player tests positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Evening Standard.
Major League Soccer: The league announced it would suspend the season for 30 days.
MLB: The league announced it would suspend spring training and delays Opening Day.
CFL: The league announced it would cancel their regional scouting combines in Montreal March 13 and in Edmonton March 20 and the CFL Combine in Toronto March 26 to 28.
Conferences
Google’s I/O developer event: The annual developer conference that’s usually hosted by Google in Mountain View, Calif., in May is cancelled, and guests can receive a refund.
TED 2020: The upcoming conference, originally scheduled for the end of April, was set to bring about 1,000 people to Vancouver. It’s been postponed until July 20 to 26.
F8 conference: F8 is considered Facebook’s biggest event of the year and was supposed to be held in San Jose, Calif., in May. The company announced at the end of February that the conference is cancelled and will be replaced with livestreamed content.
South by Southwest: The conference that goes alongside the festival in Austin, Texas, was supposed to include programming on film, music, culture and technology. As of March 6, it was cancelled for the first time in its 34-year history.
Mobile World Congress: The annual trade show for the communications industry in Barcelona, Spain was cancelled on Feb. 12.
Shopify Unite 2020: The conference held in Toronto that was set for early May was cancelled.
EmTech Asia: Technologies conference EmTech held in Singapore has been held until Aug. 4 to 5.
2020 Global Health Conference & Exhibition: U.S. President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak at this health technology conference that’s been cancelled for the first time in its 58-year history. It was set for March 9 to 13 in Orlando, Fla.
Adobe Summit: The summit was scheduled for March 29 to April 2 in Las Vegas, Nev., and more than 20,000 people were expected to attend. It’s now been cancelled and will be hosted online, according to the summit’s site.
Collision conference: The technology conference that was set for June in Toronto will be held online after it was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Facebook’s Global Marketing Summit: Facebook’s annual marketing conference, scheduled for March 9 to 12 in San Francisco, Calif., was cancelled. The event typically draws about 5,000 people.
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3): Considered a major trade event for the video game industry, E3 was cancelled and won’t be rescheduled from its June 9 to 11 dates. It was supposed to be held in Los Angeles, Calif.
IBM’s Think conference: More than 30,000 people were supposed to attend this developer’s conference in San Francisco, Calif., in May, but IBM cancelled it and converted it to an online event.
Game Developers Conference: This video game development trade conference has been postponed until the summer from its original dates in March. The event was set to draw around 30,000 people, and exhibitors were pulling out prior to the announcement.
Major international events
St. Patrick’s Day (Dublin, Ireland): The country cancelled its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 9.
Japan Cherry Blossom Festival (Tokyo, Japan): The city cancelled two cherry blossom festivals on March 11.
Music events
For a full updated list cancelled or postponed concerts, award shows and festivals in North America, click here.
The new coronavirus was first identified in Hubei province, China, in December 2019 and spread rapidly. While the outbreak has begun to level off in China, it seems the virus has found a foothold in a number of countries around the world, and it continues to spread.
Confused about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials say the risk is very low for Canadians, but they caution against travel to affected areas (a list can be found here). If you do travel to these places, they recommend you self-monitor to see whether you develop symptoms and if you do, to contact public health authorities.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. And if you get sick, stay at home.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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