Paris book fair canceled due to coronavirus outbreak

PARIS (Reuters) – Paris’ annual book fair, which was supposed to take place later this month, has been canceled due to measures taken by the French government to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the French publishers’ union said in a statement.

“Following the government’s decision to forbid any gathering of more than 5,000 people in a closed space, it is with regret that we have taken the decision to cancel the 2020 edition of the Paris’ book fair”, the union said.

To date, the coronavirus has killed two people in France and infected some 130.