Growing concerns over the coronavirus prompted industry organization PESA, which stands for Petroleum, Equipment and Services Association, to cancel its annual meeting, which was to be held next month in Northern California.

“Due to an abundance of caution in the Bay Area regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus, and in response to multiple non-essential travel bans, we regret to announce that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 PESA Annual Meeting in Half Moon Bay April 1-3,” the organization said in a statement released late on March 4.

The number of coronavirus cases outside China, where the virus was first reported on Dec. 31, has grown rapidly and most recently led California to declare a state of emergency. According to a March 5 report by the LA Times, the virus has now been reported in 12 counties in the state and has sickened more than 50 people.

In its release, PESA added: “This decision was not made lightly, and we deeply regret the inconvenience.”

The organization said all existing registrations and sponsorships will automatically be applied to its next annual meeting scheduled for April 14-16 in Albuquerque, N.M.