INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Amazon has canceled re:MARS 2020, an annual AI event that focuses on machine learning, automation, robotics and space, over concerns about
The event was scheduled to be held June 16 to 19, 2020 in Las Vegas.
Organizers of the event said in a statement on its website that the
event will be cancelled and guests who purchased tickets will receive a full refund
Here the statement:
Thank you for your interest in re:MARS 2020
Our top priority is the well-being of our employees, customers, partners, and event attendees
We have been closely monitoring the situation with COVID-19, and after much consideration, we have made the decision to cancel re:MARS 2020
All guests who have purchased tickets will receive a full refund of registration fees
Hotel rooms booked through our conference website will be canceled free of charge
Over the course of the coming weeks, we will explore other ways to engage the community.
Amazon launched re:MARS in 2019 and last year
featured founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Landing AI founder and CEO Andrew Ng, actor and producer Robert Downey, Jr., MIT Media Lab researcher
Kate Darling and Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert, and Zoox CEO Aicha Evans, among others.
COVID-19, a disease caused by a new virus
that is a member of the coronavirus family and a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses
COVID-19 has caused governments and companies to cancel tech, business and automotive events around the world, including the NCAA March
Madness basketball tournaments, professional sports games in the NBA and NHL, the Geneva International Motor Show, MWC in Barcelona and the
SXSW festival in Austin, Texas
Disneyland and California Adventure will close through the end of the month
On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, a designation that allows the government to free up more federal resources
that states can access as they respond to outbreak.
Amazon issued guidance Thursday in response to the COVID-19 outbreak recommending that
global employees who are able to work from home to do so through the end of March.
We continue to work closely with public and private
medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions as the situation continues to evolve,& an Amazon spokesperson said in an email
&As a result, we are now recommending that all of our employees globally who are able to work from home do so through the end of
March.
Earlier this week, Amazon said it would provide two weeks of extra paid time off for full and part-time employees who are diagnosed
with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine
The company said it will continue to pay all hourly employees, including food service, janitorial and security staff, who support its
offices around the world.
