It is official, my current hometown of Austin, Texas has officially canceled the massive 2-week event of SXSW over concerns of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. This is the first time in the event’s 34-year history that it’s been canceled.
The major news was confirmed today at a press conference by Austin mayor Steve Adler who declared a “local disaster” in the city. Organizers and attendees are scrambling now as the festivities were only a week away from beginning. Austin EMS System Medical Director Dr. Mark Escott noted that there are no confirmed cases in the area yet, but precautions had to be taken.
“After careful deliberation, there was no acceptable path forward that would mitigate the risk enough to protect our community,” Escott said.
Leading up to this major announcement was news of cancelations from big-name companies including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Intel, Vevo, Amazon, and the list was growing like the virus itself.
This is arguably the biggest cancelation to officially take place due to the coronavirus outbreak, and there are no signs of stopping soon.
But for now, wash your hands, and buy as much cheap Corona beer as you can. Seriously, I got a 12-pack of Corona Lights last night marked down to $13 from $20. Silver lining.
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