Seattle, Mar 13 (IANS): Microsoft has cancelled its flagship developer conference 'Build 2020' in-person, scheduled to take place here from May 19-21.

The Microsoft aBuild' will now be a digital-only event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New coronavirus cases in Washington State have surged to 457, including 31 deaths.

"In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event," Microsoft said in a statement to The Verge on Thursday.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has announced a ban on events with more than 250 attendees in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties through the end of March.

Microsoft uses 'Build' conference, attended by over 5,000, to showcase new technologies and features for its Office and Windows products.

Microsoft has also cancelled its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Summit in Seattle.

Several top-notch companies like Google, Facebook, Oracle have either cancelled or postponed their annual flagship events in the wake of growing coronavirus cases in the US and elsewhere.

Coronavirus cases in the US have exploded by more than 500 per cent in the past four days -- from 213 confirmed cases on March 9 to 1,322 cases on Thursday.

Deaths have risen from 11 to 38 over the same period -- a 245 per cent increase, reports CCN.