Coronavirus tech conference cancellations list: Apple WWDC, Microsoft Build and Ignite, E3, HPE Discover, Gartner, Dell World and more

TheWorld Health Organization (WHO)has declared thenovel coronavirus outbreaka global pandemic, and as the infectious disease continues to spread, the affects on public health and the global economy is unmistakable. In aMarch 16 statement put out through the WHO website, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "we're calling on every country and every individual to do everything they can to stop transmission."

As of Tuesday, the virus had been detected in 185 countries and regions. Data compiled byJohns Hopkins University on COVID-19 casesshow over 1,600,000 confirmed cases and more than 97,000 deaths. More than 364,000 of those infected have recovered.

SEE:How to work from home: IT pro's guidebook to telecommuting and remote work(TechRepublic)

In the US, officials have reported over 425,000 cases in all 50 states and Washington D.C. There are over 16,600 reported deaths from the COVID-19 disease. Governors in many states have declared a state of emergency.

In the last few weeks, governments around the world have enacted travel bans, promoted and in some cases required social distancing measures, and passed stimulus packages designed to mitigate the public health and economic fallout from the outbreak.

In a previous Monday Morning Opener, Larry Dignan examined how theCOVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is affecting global supply chains and consumer demand. On Friday he looked athow the disease may accelerate the future of work, including an increase in telecommuting, greater importance onvideo conferencingand digital collaboration technology, and less travel. As Larry wrote, "One thing is certain: The coronavirus is likely to mean the definition of business, as usual, will change."

SEE:Coronavirus having major effect on tech industry beyond supply chain delays (free PDF)(TechRepublic)

While we won't know the coronavirus' effects on the overall nature of work for some time, one sector of the tech economy that's felt an immediate impact is industry events. Whether as a result of travel bans, laws banning large gatherings, or an abundance of caution, tech conferences are being canceling, postponing, or converted to virtual events...leaving organizers, attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors scrambling to make alternative plans. So, I decided to use this Monday Morning Opener to compile a list of the events that have been called off, pushed back, changed format, or are being held as scheduled.

Note:The coronavirus' effect on the tech industry is a rapidly-changing story. We will do our best to update this list as news of conference cancellations and travel restrictions breaks.

ALSO READ:Coronavirus: Effective strategies and tools for remote work during a pandemic

For a list of canceled or postponed specialty tech conferences, check out the following ZDNet articles:

SEE:IT pro's guidebook: Remote work(TechRepublic)

On March 24, Laura Baldwin, President of O'Reilly Media, announced that thecompany was shuttering its in-person events divisionon going completely virtual for future events. In a statement posted on the company's website, Baldwin explained the decision:

ZDNET'S MONDAY MORNING OPENER:

The Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. Since we run a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.

Updated April 10, 9:36pm EST: Updated coronavirus information and conference cancelations. Removed outdated information. Previous updates include; employee travel restrictions, conference cancellations, school closings, U.S. lawmakers going into isolation, U.S. travel restrictions, and U.S. aid legislation.