The city of Austin announced an order of cancellation of major Austin festival South by Southwest in the wake of coronavirus concerns, just seven days before its start.
The order, issued March 6 by Austin Mayor Steve Adler, comes after global fears of the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Annually, SXSW brings thousands of attendees and speakers from across the globe; the cancellation will be an economic hit to the city of Austin.
Thursday, Austin public health officials said no good would come from the cancellation of the festival despite a petition by the organization Change to cancel the event. The petition has 55,130 supporters.
Public concerns of the global pandemic led multiple major companies and speakers to drop from the festival lineup, leading up to its start on March 13.
Texas State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication has been sending a student media “street team” to cover the festival’s events since 2008. This is the first year the selected group of students will not be attending due to the cancellation.
The University Star will continue to provide updates on the coronavirus as information becomes available.