LG and ZTE have withdrawn from MWC 2020 which is scheduled to take place on the 23rd of February in Barcelona, Spain citing the outbreak of coronavirus.

In an official statement, LG has made it clear that the company will be conducting separate events in the near future to announce its products lineup for this year. “With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain.”, wrote LG in the statement.

“This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders.”, the company added.

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has also announced that it won’t be showcasing its new products at MWC 2020. A ZTE spokesperson told The Verge that the decision to skip MWC is due to travel and visa delays along with its coronavirus concerns. “[We] tend to be an overly courteous company, and simply don’t want to make people uncomfortable,” wrote the ZTE spokesperson.

However, GSMA has no plans as of now to postpone the conference and the organizers anticipate to carry on with the event as planned. In its press statement, GSMA said it has been monitoring and assessing the potential impact of Coronavirus and emphasizes that there has been “minimal impact” on the event so far.

GSMA has announced several security measures to prevent the virus including increased cleaning and disinfection in common areas, onsite medical support, conducting awareness campaigns, and more. It will even implement a “mic change protocol” for speakers and a “no-handshake policy” for attendees.