Austin, TX (WBAP/KLIF) – An increasing number of high-profile companies and speakers have withdrawn from the South by Southwest music and arts festival amid mounting concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.
Social media behemoth Facebook, tech news outlet Mashable, video-based social media platform TikTok and U.S. chip maker Intel and technology giant Apple and Twitter have all said they won’t participate in the festival in Austin that’s scheduled to run March 13-22.
More than 40,000 people have signed a petition to cancel the event, citing fears that the virus could spread.
Organizers say the festival will proceed as planned.
KXAN-TV reports that when asked about any cancellations, organizers responded:
“Where travel has been impacted, especially in the case of China, we are seeing a handful of cancellations. However, we are on par with years past in regard to registrants who are unable to attend. We are increasing our efforts to prevent the spread of germs per Austin Public Health’s recommendations, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as necessary.”
Austin Public Health said it’s closely monitoring the situation.
“The CDC has stated that more cases are likely to be identified in the coming days. While we remain vigilant in our efforts to control the spread of disease, we may not be able to effectively prevent this virus from reaching our community.”
(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the KXAN TV)
