Despite smaller scale, Barcelona relieved at return of telecoms gathering

Workers prepare an entrance for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Fira de Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Albert Gea

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona recalls the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February 2020 as the first sign that COVID-19 was a real, immediate cause for concern - a month before most of the world locked down.

Sixteen months later, the Spanish city sees the return of the annual telecoms industry gathering -- albeit in a much pared-down version -- as cause for hope, as vaccination rates accelerate and Europe seems to be starting to leave the worst of the pandemic behind.