Google cancels physical event for IO 2020 amid Coronavirus fears

Google was slated to host its annual developers conference, the Google I/O, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California between May 12 and May 14.

Google has cancelled the physical event of its annual developers conference. (Google)

Google was slated to host its annual developers conference, the Google I/O, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California between May 12 and May 14. Now, word is that the company has cancelled the physical event of its annual shindig which sees hundreds of developers and journalists travelling to the company's headquarters every year.

In an update on its I/O 2020 website, the company said that it had decided to cancel the physical event due to the coronavirus outbreak. "Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre," Google wrote on its I/O 2020 website.

The company also said that all the participants who had purchased the tickets for its upcoming event would receive a full refund by March 13. Additionally, the company announced that the participants who had registered for the Google I/O 2020 will not need to enter last year's draw to get the tickets. They "will be automatically granted the option of purchasing an I/O 2021 ticket," the company said.

"Over the coming weeks, we will explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with our developer community," the company added.

It is worth noting that, last month Google in a statement to The Verge executive editor Dieter Bohn had said that it was planning to host its annual developers conference as per the schedule. The company had also updated the FAQ session of its I/O 2020 website to notify all the participants that they would be able to cancel their registration up to April 15 without any financial penalty owing to the ongoing health concerns.

But as it turns out, now the company has decided to cancel the physical event. However, it is still looking for other ways to explore the event.