Facebook, Twitter will not be attending SXSW due to coronavirus concerns

Social media companies Facebook and Twitter have announced that they will be pulling out of the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW). Both companies cited concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. 

Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey was supposed to give a keynote address at the conference. But the company announced on Sunday that it was halting all "non-critical business travel and events." The policy, they said, would be effective immediately and stay in place until a vaccine was available, or until "the World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control deem it appropriate to step back from pandemic precautionary measures."

According to an email to The Verge from Twitter spokesperson Siobhan Murphy, the travel restriction extends to SXSW and the company's #TwitterHouse at SXSW, which was expected to have "a variety of events and programming" is cancelled.

Facebook has been shutting down some of its big events, too. It recently cancelled the in-person aspect of its F8 developer conference, which was scheduled for May 5 and May 6. It also cancelled a global marketing conference that was planned for Valentine's Day, February 14, this month.

So far, SXSW is still happening, but there have been calls for the annual music and tech festival to be cancelled, with a petition already having over 29,000 signatures. According to its organizers, they are "working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies" regarding coronavirus concerns. 

Some significant events have been cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus, including Mobile World Congress, Game Developers' Conference, and the Geneva Motor Show. 

Source: The Verge