LG Electronics has officially pulled out of MWC 2020 citing safety concerns around the coronavirus outbreak and its spread beyond Chinese borders.

"With the safety of its employees and general public foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain," an official LG Electronics statement read. "This decision will prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised."

Instead of revealing handsets at Mobile World Congress, LG will hold separate events "in the near future" to announce its lineup of 2020 phones and mobile products.

Hours before, ZTE had announced it would officially be pulling out of MWC and canceling its press conference, partially due to travel and visa issues but also over concerns of the coronavirus – but more because of the mild xenophobia that comes with the China-originated disease, a spokesperson told The Verge. 

MWC: LG and ZTE out, Huawei and Qualcomm reportedly still in

Before LG and ZTE's actions, GSMA, the organization behind MWC, released a statement maintaining that the coronavirus has had "minimal impact on the event thus far."

Huawei and Qualcomm still plan on attending, according to CNET's Shara Tibken.

GSMA's statement mentions the additional hygienic measures the organization has taken to mitigate the spread of the virus, including increased disinfection, onsite medical support, and providing more sanitising and disinfecting products on-site.

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