Geneva invention show delayed over novel coronavirus

A trade show in Geneva featuring hundreds of inventors from Asia is being postponed until September due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, organisers said on Monday.

The show -- the largest of its kind in the world -- had been due to take place next month but organisers said travel restrictions in Asia had made planning too difficult.

Around half the exhibitors at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva come from Asia and a third of those from mainland China and another third from Hong Kong.

"As obtaining visas and planning the trip to Geneva by air is becoming increasingly difficult for inventors from all over the world, the exhibition management has chosen to be wise and decided to postpone," organisers said.

The show, which brings together hundreds of exhibitors from dozens of countries, was supposed to be held on March 25-29 and will now take place from September 16 to September 20.

In the 2016 edition, Hong Kong professor Cheah Kok-wai won the grand prize for a new method of toughening screens for smartphones and other devices to avoid cracks and scratches.

The COVID-19 disease has infected more than 70,500 people in its epicentre of China and killed more than 1,700.