Coronavirus: Facebook and Twitter pull out of SXSW as petition to cancel festival passes 25,000

Thousands sign petition to cancel SXSW as fears of deadly Covid-19 virus grow

Organisers of SXSW said the event will go ahead as planned (CC)

Facebook and Twitter have pulled out of the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Texas later this month due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

The withdrawal is part of a number of measures taken in response to the disease by major technology firms.

Facebook has already cancelled its annual F8 developer conference, while Twitter has told staff to work from home and banned all "non-critical business travel and events".

Google and Microsoft have also cancelled two smaller conferences in the US, citing the "health and wellbeing of customers, parners, employees and the overall community".

More than 25,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to cancel SXSW over fears that it will contribute to the spread of the deadly virus.

"I believe that having an event like this is irresponsible amid an outbreak," the petition's founder stated. "So far SXSW has not made any plans to cancel or reschedule the festival. They have not made any plans on how they will prepare against the spread of the virus."

There have been more than 90,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world, with just over 100 in the US. There have been 11 cases in Texas, according to Click2Houston.

The annual multi-media festival is scheduled to take place on 13-22 March and organisers said that following guidance from the World Health Organisation the event would go ahead as planned.

"SXSW is working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event," read a statement posted to the event's website on Monday.

"As a result of this dialogue and the recommendations of Austin Public Health, the 2020 event is proceeding with safety as a top priority."

The Austin Department of Public Health said in a statement that "current risk of person-to-person spread in their jurisdiction remains low" but that people should continue to practice safe hygiene.

"Historically, March is not a peak international travel month in Austin, but we will continue to monitor," the department stated.

"Information and practices are changing during this rapidly evolving situation and we will continue to follow national guidelines."