The Xiaomi has announced in a press release that it will close all its physical stores in China (including all Mi Stores, Mi Home and Mi Mall stores) for one week from 28 January. The precaution was necessary for disease prevention purposes to help control the spread of the virus.
The next opening of shops is (expected to be) on Monday 3 February, but this will depend largely on the week's developments. The manufacturer has indicated that they will inform fans in good time if there are any changes.
Here is a rough translation of the press release:
"In the wake of the epidemic, we are responding comprehensively and actively to national policy measures in order to cooperate with the government at all levels and contribute to preventing the spread of the epidemic. We have taken a decision for the health of our family members, colleagues and friends:
1. Xiaomi stores nationwide will be closed from 28 January 2020 (the fourth day) to 2 February 2020 (the ninth day). It will resume operations on 3 February 2020 (the 10th day) and will be notified separately in case of any adjustments.
2. If you need products, please purchase them on the official Xiaomi website or the Xiaomi Mall app. Logistics in this case will be continuous. Due to the holidays, logistics and delivery may be delayed and delays may occur. We apologize for this in advance.
3. If you need after-sales service, please call 4001005678. Xiaomi will provide free after-sales postal service. "
As mentioned in the announcement, fans can still order their favourite products through the company's online channels (Xiaomi Mall app and Mi.com). Deliveries will be handled with the usual fast turnaround, but delays can be expected due to the New Year holidays.
China is battling the coronavirus, which has already killed more than 80 people in Wuhan, where it was first detected. At the time of publication, there are likely to be more than 2,800 cases in China alone. The Chinese government has also placed 15 cities with a combined population of more than 57 million people under total or partial quarantine. Wuhan has been effectively quarantined and all long-distance travel by rail, road and air has been suspended for some time.
It is important to note that due to the strict production technology, controlled packaging and closed logistics, the product cannot be contaminated during production, packaging or delivery! Therefore, there is no need to fear that products from reputable Chinese manufacturers (whether phones or other electronics) could be contaminated. This requires both living organisms and moisture, neither of which is provided in the case of technical articles. If you have bought from domestic sources in the last few weeks, it is very likely that they arrived in Europe well before the outbreak, and fresh supplies may not arrive for weeks due to EU distribution centres. So when the product arrives, you can just grab the packaging and you'll be fine. You can still wash your hands, but only for basic hand hygiene. :)
However, in the context of the epidemic situation, I got to thinking. After all, the Humaine cancelled an event, just as it is not expected that there will be any major announcements in the coming weeks, with hundreds of people in a closed space. MWC is in a month's time. And although Spain has not yet detected the coronavirus, the risk could be greatly increased if visitors and exhibitors from all over the world arrive there in their thousands. Will the Chinese cancel their participation, or will the situation improve by then? Because it would be impossible to screen that many people one by one. Or could the Mi 10 unveiling be delayed, with a possible narrow announcement?
