Features
For Now, It’s Full Steam Ahead For SXSW Despite Coronavirus Fears, Petition
Andy Sheppard/Redferns via Getty Images – SXSW Crowds
Music fans gather on 6th Street in Austin, Texas, during SXSW.
With South By Southwest preparing for a March 13 kickoff just as the rest of the planet seems in the grip of coronavirus (COVID-19) fear, organizers of Austin’s massive conference/festival have no plans to cancel or scale back the global event as of March 2.
Despite news reports of a Change.org petition with some 20,000 signatures asking that SXSW be canceled, organizers say they are working with local, state and federal agencies “on a daily basis” to plan for a safe event.
“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,” a statement on the event’s website reads.
Yet, some major attendees have reportedly pulled out of SXSW, including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. The company will also no longer host Twitter House, one of the larger gatherings of SXSW that offers both panels and concerts, according to Fortune. While it’s not explicitly stated that coronavirus fears caused the cancellation, it’s a notable change.
However, SXSW has since booked additional, high-profile guests including former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), and former presidential aspirant and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas).
The SXSW website now features an information page for attendees regarding the COVID-19 epidemic and how it does and doesn’t affect attendees, including a FAQ from Austin Public Health as well as a SXSW-specfic FAQ.
“We are following the recommendations of scientific and health agencies when making determinations regarding operations and precautions around the 2020 event,” the FAQ opens. “Safety is a top priority, and we continue to work with them on a daily basis. Restaurants, bars, clubs, theatres, stadiums, and other businesses that people patronize are still open and people continue to attend. Travelers from the U.S. and around the world continue to visit Austin daily.
“At the World Health Organization press conference, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, ‘Our greatest enemy right now is not the virus itself. It’s fear, rumors and stigma. And our greatest assets are facts, reason and solidarity.’”
Among preparedness plans on-site, SXSW says it is providing disinfectant wipes and spray, hand sanitizer for common area spaces and activity spaces, microphone wipe downs, APH disease prevention literature and outreach to all meeting spaces, venues and Austin-area hotels.
SXSW says that, to date, cancellations are “on par, or down” from past years but acknowledges “a handful” of cancellations from participants traveling from China and Japan, and some corporate travel bans.
The website notes that outside of SXSW, March isn’t a “peak” international travel month in Austin, and reports 2019 demographics showing of 73,716 SXSW conference attendees (presumably those who purchased badges), 19,166 were from outside the U.S., and numbers this year are comparable.
In order, the top 10 participating countries in 2019 were Brazil, U.K., Germany, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, Taiwan, Spain and Ireland. This year, the conference says, “we are not expecting any participants from China.”
According to a statement from APH, “no health departments in the state have requested the cancellation of any gatherings as the current risk of person-to-person spread in their jurisdictions remains low.
“There is a lot about COVID-19 that is still unknown, but what we do know is that personal hygiene is of critical importance. We hope that people follow the science, implement the recommendations of public health agencies, and continue to participate in the activities that make our world connected.”