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Retailer GameStop will no longer hold a midnight release event for Animal Crossing nor Doom Eternal to safeguard the “health and safety of our guests and associates.” (via Kotaku).
Furthermore, stores will shut down demo stations, use a twice-hourly hand-washing mandate, and show employees how to effectively clean the Verifone payment terminals. It’s not only Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal that will be affected: “until further notice, late night launch events are suspended… it is best that we avoid situations where large numbers of guests are gathered indoors or standing in line.”
The company is adopting measures to reduce the risk posed to employees and customers from the novel coronavirus outbreak. At the time of writing, it is nearing 210,000 confirmed cases of the virus across the world. Of these active cases, six per cent are experiencing severe or critical symptoms. Almost 8,000 lives have been lost, and 82,000 people have recovered. The elderly and those who have autoimmune conditions are at the greatest risk of contracting the virus and developing serious complications, therefore, health officials stress that self-isolation and social distancing are suited strategies to slow the spread of the disease.
