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Facebook cancels F8 developer conference over coronavirus concerns

Facebook has cancelled its annual F8 developer conference, the company's biggest event of the year, over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

The social media giant says that "locally hosted events, videos and live-streamed content" will replace the conference.

The conference was scheduled to take place at the San Jose McEnery Convention Centre on 5-6 May.

In 2019, the event attracted more than 5,000 attendees — developers, creators and entrepreneurs from around the globe.

The full statement from the company reads: "In light of the growing concerns around COVID-19, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person component of F8 this year, in order to prioritise the health and safety of our developer partners, employees and everyone who helps put F8 on. We plan to replace the in-person F8 event with locally hosted events, videos and live-streamed content."

Similar events have already been cancelled including the Mobile World Congress trade show. The IMF and World Bank are considering a range of options concerning their Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.

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