Mashable drops out of SXSW due to coronavirus concerns

AUSTIN, Texas - Media company Mashable has decided to pull out of SXSW due to the coronavirus.

Mashable posted the news to Twitter Tuesday morning, saying they will be canceling the Mashable House and MashBash at this year's event.

In the tweet, Mashable said, "Due to concerns regarding the coronavirus, we've decided to cancel the Mashable House and MashBash at SXSW. This was a really tough call, but safety is our top priority."

Mashable joins other companies like Facebook and Twitter that are deciding to drop out of SXSW due to concerns over the coronavirus. Twitter released a statement on its blog Sunday that it was "suspending all non-critical business travel and events," meaning CEO Jack Dorsey, who was originally scheduled as a featured speaker, will not be coming to Austin.

Facebook released a statement Monday confirming their decision. "Due to concerns related to coronavirus, our company and employees will not be participating in SXSW this year," said Tracy Clayton, Facebook company spokesperson, in a brief statement to FOX7Austin.

A petition to cancel SXSW has been started on Change.org and as of Tuesday afternoon, had over 34,000 signatures. The person who started says she's concerned about the hundreds of thousands of people who will be traveling to Austin for the conference and festivals.

SXSW posted on their website that they are working with local, state, and federal agencies and will be proceeding with this year's event as planned.

"SXSW is working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event," the website says. "As a result of this dialogue and the recommendations of Austin Public Health, we are proceeding with the 2020 event with the health and safety of our attendees, staff, and volunteers as our top priority."

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