Coronavirus threat in India: Xiaomi will not have a Redmi Note 9 launch event

Update (March 3): The Realme 6 launch is also cancelled

Xiaomi just announced that it would not be holding an event for the upcoming Redmi Note 9 launch in India due to Coronavirus concerns, which have only reached the country.

The Redmi Note 9 launch, which was scheduled for March 12, will now be unveiled over a live stream instead of an actual on-ground event to avoid mass gatherings. Xiaomi says it will not hold any events in March and will assess the situation. This step was taken to curb the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, which has just made its way to India.

This announcement comes just hours after India had its first confirmed cases of Coronavirus victims, in the city of Noida. Authorities are already working on curbing further spread of the virus as well as quarantining all suspects.

New Delhi, which shares its borders with Noida, has been the hub of Xiaomi’s significant launches in India. A move like this will go a long way in ensuring that there is no unprecedented spread of the virus through the country, as there will be hundreds of employees, media, and Mi fans traveling from around the country for the launch.

We fathom that Xiaomi will not be the last one to take this drastic step. A couple of other launches are also scheduled for the coming weeks, which might also shift to an online-only start. On the horizon, we have the Realme 6 and the foldable Moto Razr launch events and are awaiting confirmation from them.

Update (March 3)

Madhav Sheth, the CEO of Realme took to Twitter to announce that the Realme 6 launch event will be livestreamed from the venue but without an audience, as a precautionary measure.

• GDC 2020 “indefinitely postponed” after losing Microsoft, Sony, Epic to coronavirus
• OnePlus 8 series to launch in mid April