A conference on the novel coronavirus outbreak set to be held in New York City was recently cancelled — due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently cancelled a roundtable meeting called “Doing Business Under Coronavirus,” Bloomberg reports. The event was scheduled to take place in New York on Friday but had to be scrapped due to concerns about the virus spreading at large gatherings.

Following the event’s cancellation, the think tank’s website read: “There are currently no upcoming events. Please check back soon for new events.”

CFR has also cancelled other roundtables in New York and Washington from March 11 to April 3.

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The annual New York International Auto Show is being postponed until late August as well, according to Bloomberg.

At the time of writing, New York has 173 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, according to CBS News. It’s among the highest in the U.S.

As the number of new coronavirus patients continues to rise and global fear of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, soars, the event industry is taking a hit. From concerts to travel plans, people are being forced to skip fun in exchange for staying safe, as gathering in busy public spaces is one of the main things experts are encouraging people to avoid during the outbreak.

1:48 Commuters exercising caution on public transit after coronavirus concerns Commuters exercising caution on public transit after coronavirus concerns

Music junkies were left heartbroken recently as the entertainment industry took another pummelling with the postponement of various music tours, from Mariah Carey to Pearl Jam, as well as the South By Southwest and Coachella musical festivals.

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As of March 11, the new coronavirus has claimed the lives of 4,373 people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins data. There are currently around 121,000 confirmed cases in 118 countries and territories.

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.

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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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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca