This past week Sony announced that it had canceled plans for the company to attend and present at this year's PAX East convention. The reasons for the cancellation cited were "increasing concerns" related to the coronavirus' spread. Now the Mayor of Boston, where PAX East is based, is asking Sony to reconsider.

In a publically released letter, Mayor Marty Walsh questioned the necessity of the cancellation. He states that the potential for contracting coronavirus remains extremely low in Boston and Massachusetts. Further, he believes that canceling large plans, like Sony has, sends a confusing and potentially dangerous message that stands against the facts. Walsh even goes so far as stating that, "These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard dismantle," implying Sony's actions will apparently encourage racist views against themselves.

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"Boston is united in our efforts to dispel these harmful and misguided fears," is how Walsh wraps up his letter. He believes that it's important to continue to pursue the "opportunities and connections" that Boston provides, regardless of coronavirus worries.

To be fair to Mayor Walsh, Sony's decision has been seen by others to be overly cautious. Japan has a warning system tied to when it is and isn't safe to travel. That warning system is currently level 2, which only encourages the elderly and infirm not to do unnecessary travel. Overly cautious doesn't mean wrong, though.

To be fair to Sony, the company has since been shown to be semi-justified. The United States, following Walsh posting his letter, issued a travel advisory for Japan. The advisory asks travelers to "Excise Increased Caution" traveling between Japan due to increased concerns regarding the novel coronavirus. The USA has issued just three warnings so far, all in the past several days. The warnings are for Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, and notably don't encourage people to cancel their travel plans.

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Sony's also canceled other plans to attend the Game Developers Conference, which will run from March 16 through March 20. And Sony isn't the only company to begin taking extra travel precautions. Square Enix also canceled much of its PAX East plans this past week citing the worries regarding the coronavirus. It wouldn't be surprising if more international companies followed suit for GDC in March.

Few can fault Sony, Square Enix, or anyone else for prioritizing their employee's health.

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Source: WCVB