The number of coronavirus cases across the world continues to surge. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the coronavirus will now be termed a pandemic as it has spread across 6 continents and touched over 100 countries. Globally, the number of coronavirus cases have hit over 150,000.
As the virus can spread easily in places with a large number of people, governments and health officials have encouraged social containment measures to curb its spread such as reduced travel, remote work, school closures, and cancelling big gatherings like conferences and shows.
This has led to the cancellation or postponement of some high profile events across industries.
Coachella
Coachella is an annual music festival that holds in California. It is one of the biggest and most famous music festivals in the world. The festival was initially slated to hold on April 10 – 12, and April 17-19. Due to the rising concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to hold on October 9 – 11, and October 16 – 18.
While the inaugural edition of Coachella took place in October 1999, subsequent editions have held in the month of April every year since 2001.
Coachella organisers said “While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff, and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Disneyland
The popular resort has shut down all of its parks in Asia since January. In light of the continued spread of the coronavirus, Disney has announced that it will be shutting down Walt Disney World in Florida, and the Disneyland resort in Los Angeles. It will also stop new departures from their cruise line for the rest of the month.
Formula One
Formula One has announced that the upcoming Grand Prix in Bahrain will be closed to spectators, while the Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed from its initial April date. The Australian Grand Prix has also been canceled as an F1 worker tested positive for coronavirus.
FIFA World Cup qualifiers
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have postponed the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The matches initially scheduled for March 23 – 31 2020 and June 1 – 9, 2020, have been postponed to a later date.
In a statement on their website, FIFA explained that they in collaboration with the AFC would continue to assess the situation in relation to COVID-19 and will decide whether further changes to the schedule of Asian FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers are required.
NCAA Tournament
America’s National Collegiate Athletic Association has canceled their Division 1 men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments. The NCAA had initially planned on holding games without spectators, but revised its decision to entirely cancelling the championships, stating that the decision was taken to ensure that ‘the events do not contribute to the spread of the pandemic’.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The NBA has cancelled its ongoing season after two players tested positive for the virus. The league said in a shared statement that they would use the hiatus to determine the next steps for moving forward in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.
TED 2020
This year’s edition of the famous TED conference was to hold from April 20 – 24, 2020 in Vancouver but has now been postponed to July 26 – 30 because of the global spread of the COVID – 19 virus.
Facebook’s F8 Developer Conference
Facebook has canceled its F8 Developer Conference which holds annually in San Jose, California. The tech company usually introduces new features and makes important announcements at this event. It was initially scheduled for March 5 – 6, but will now be replaced with locally hosted events, videos, and live-streamed content.
Mobile World Conference by GSMA
Mobile World Congress is the biggest trade show in the smartphone industry. It is usually hosted in Barcelona, Spain by the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA).
The body cancelled the event, but not before several companies had announced their decision to not attend anymore. Cancelling this event will no doubt have financial repercussions for the GSMA, and even the city of Barceclona. Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona’s trade fair institution, estimates that the Mobile World Congress generates 13,000 temporary jobs and has an economic impact of 460 million Euros on the city.
IBM’s Think
IBM has canceled Think, its biggest developer conference of the year. The conference was to hold at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on May 5 – 7, but will now be transformed into a digital event with live-streamed sessions.
Google I/O 2020
Concerns over coronavirus have caused Google to cancel its I/O developer event. The event was initially set for May in Palo Alto, California, where the company would usually unveil new products and announce recent developments. Google has promised to refund all guests who have purchased tickets.
The spread of the disease has also halted the tour plans of many entertainers such as Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne, Ciara, Madonna, and several others. Additionally, movies such as ‘Mulan’ (live-action remake of the Disney classic), ‘Peter Rabbit 2’, and the latest James Bond movie, ‘No Time to Die’ have postponed their releases to later dates.
Nigerian events
So far, Nigerian events have remained largely unaffected due to the relatively low incidence of the virus. Only two confirmed cases of coronavirus have been detected in Nigeria. The second confirmed case has now tested negative for the virus and has been allowed to go home.
However, a third case was recorded today, and the federal government of Nigeria has announced the postponement of the National Sports Festival to hold in Benin next week. Via Twitter, the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare said, ‘President Mohammadu Buhari approves the postponement of the National Sports Festival Edo 2020 as a precautionary move against COVID-19 spread.’