Facebook pulls out of major tech event amid coronavirus fears

Social network joins many of the world's biggest companies, including Amazon, Sony and LG

People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port on February 10, 2020 (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook has pulled out of a major event amid fears about coronavirus.

The company is just the latest to say it will not participate in the MWC 2020 tech conference because of worries about the spread of the disease.

Many of the world's biggest tech companies – from Amazon to Sony – have pulled out of the event in Barcelona amid fears their staff may come into contact with the virus.

Facebook said it had made the decision "out of an abundance of caution" because of the "evolving public health risks related to the coronavirus".

Organiser the GSMA has insisted the MWC will go ahead as planned and introduced strict new safety measures - including banning attendees from the Chinese province where the outbreak is believed to have originated - but many companies are opting to reduce their presence or skip the show entirely.

Facebook's decision came on the same day Intel announced it would pull out of the event, joining LG, Amazon, TCL, Sony, Ericsson, Nvidia and more.

In a statement, Intel said: "The safety and well-being of all our employees and partners is our top priority, and we have withdrawn from this year's Mobile World Congress out of an abundance of caution.

"We are grateful to the GSMA for their understanding and look forward to attending and supporting future Mobile World Congress events."

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has now passed 1,000 people, health authorities announced on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, the GSMA confirmed it was continuing preparations for the convention, which traditionally attracts more than 100,000 visitors, including around 6,000 from China.

As part of the enhanced safety measures, the organisers confirmed that MWC attendees who have recently been to China will be asked to confirm that they have been outside the country for 14 days prior to the show.

Organisers have also confirmed that temperature screening will be in place and it is encouraging those attending to adopt a "no-handshake" policy.

Several other high-profile companies due to appear at MWC remain committed to the event.

Chinese tech giant Huawei has said it is still planning to attend, while Samsung has not publicly commented on any plans to reduce its presence at the trade show or withdraw altogether.

Additional reporting by agencies