TUCSON, Ariz. - Tucson's annual book festival has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.

Festival co-founder and board member Brenda Viner confirmed the cancellation to KGUN9, saying it was the responsible thing to do given coronavirus fears.

"It just felt like the responsible thing to do," Viner said.

On its website, the festival's author list had noted that more than 100 authors had withdrawn from the festival.

Viner also said the cancellation will come as a big loss to the Tucson economy.

"18 to 20 percent of attendees are from out of town, some we know what an economic boost it is for the city. They come here. They stay in a hotel, they eat in our restaurants, they buy a lot of books at the book festival. You know the school helped is a few years ago and we know it’s somewhere in the range of 3-4 million dollars," she added.

The free Tucson Festival of Books was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, on the University of Arizona campus. The event typically draws hundreds of authors and more than 100,000 attendees, as well as big-name authors.

The 2020 festival was scheduled to be the 12th annual edition of the event.

Arizona has six confirmed coronavirus cases. One presumptive positive case being in Pima County.

The Tucson Festival of Books released this statement: