New York Auto Show Claims It Will Happen

Projected are 50 world and North American new vehicle debuts.

With five weeks to go before the 2020 New York International Auto Show’s press preview days (April 8-9), organizers claim – not without self-interest – that they are moving forward with plans to open the Show as scheduled in the face of the spreading respiratory disease COVID-19, aka coronavirus. The show’s fate of course will be determined by public health departments at the city, state and federal levels. At the moment there is no known vaccine for preventive or ameliorative use against COVID-19.

The US Centers for Disease Control on its website, which is lagging reporting current developments and is being censored or closely monitored by the Trump and Pence Administration says as of today:

1. Imported cases of COVID-19 in travelers have been detected in the U.S.
2. Person-to-person spread of COVID-19 was first reported among close contacts of returned travelers from Wuhan.
3. During the week of February 23, CDC reported community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 in California (in two places), Oregon and Washington.
4. Community spread in Washington resulted in the first death in the United States from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case of COVID-19 in a health care worker, and the first potential outbreak in a long-term care facility.

Actually, the number of deaths is listed elsewhere as:

5. Total cases: 60
6. Total deaths: 6 <no, currently 9 in Seattle area>
   
7. States reporting cases: 12

^* These data represent cases detected and tested in the United States through U.S. public health surveillance systems since January 21, 2020. This includes both confirmed and presumptive positive cases reported to CDC. It does not include people who returned to the U.S. via State Department-chartered flights.

“We are in communication with state and local officials and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and, at this point, there are no plans to cancel any shows at the facility due to coronavirus,” NYAS just said. “The Javits Center and the Auto Show are taking precautionary measures inside the venue while the state and local agencies are taking steps to limit the spread of respiratory viruses.”

There are 18 automaker press conferences scheduled with a projected 50 world and North American new vehicle debuts. NYAS has three ride and drive engagements where visitors can take a ride in a range of professionally driven vehicles. Camp Jeep returns to the Inner Roadway; Toyota invites visitors to ride in the all-wheel drive Camry; and the EV Test Track is back, allowing media and attendees an opportunity to take a ride in a range of electric vehicles including the all-new Porsche Taycan, Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf and Kia Niro.