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Niantic has decided to delay Pokémon Go’s March Community Day in Italy, Japan, and South Korea, due to coronavirus concerns (via Siliconera).
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The Mystery Bonus Hour, Raid Hour, Raid Weekends, and Spotlight Hour from March 3 to March 19 have also been postponed, presumably to prevent large groups of people convening and communicating the disease or putting people at risk of infection. Excluding China, South Korea is the country with the highest number of confirmed cases of coronavirus, with over 5,000 cases and 34 fatalities. Italy has over 2,000 cases of coronavirus and 52 fatalities, and Japan has 274 cases of coronavirus with six fatalities. Crucially, there is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for the novel coronavirus at the moment. In order to stop the spread of coronavirus, global health organisations advise thorough hand washing, keeping away from ill individuals, and monitoring their own condition with self-isolation if someone thinks they might have the disease.
To compensate for the loss of the events, Niantic ensures that Incense—an item that boosts spawns of wild Pokémon around the player—will be discounted in the shop from March 3 to March 19. Its duration will also be doubled, to let players catch lots of Pokémon even if they are staying at home. Whilst there are no formal quarantines in South Korea or Japan, Italy has enacted quarantines and curfews in the Lombardy and Veneto regions to reduce transmission of the disease. In addition, the Battle League will not ask for Poké Coins and will be free to enter, with rare Pokémon like Scraggy and legendary Pokémon frequently encountered in the Battle League.
Pokémon Go is out now for iOS and Android devices.
