As coronavirus ravages the world, cities are cracking down on public gatherings to prevent the spread of the pandemic. That means artists Miley Cyrus, Madonna, and BTS are canceling shows.
As concerns about the COVID-19 virus continue to grow, some of the world’s biggest musical artists are canceling their upcoming concerts out of caution. A bushfire benefit concert in Australia, set to include performances from Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X, is no longer happening, according to World Tour Melbourne. Miley explained on Twitter that she wouldn’t be traveling to Australia for the March 13 show on recommendation from the CDC. “I am so disappointed to not be there, but I have to do what is right to protect the health and safety of my band and crew. I will still be making a donation to help the victims of the Australian bushfire. I’m sorry to miss everyone in Australia, but I will be back soon.” All tickets will be refunded.
It’s not just in Australia, either. Madonna‘s website now states that her March 10 and 11 concerts in Paris are off after France prohibited all events with an audience attendance of over 1000. Fans can get their tickets fully refunded at point of purchase. BTS was set to kick off their highly-anticipated Map of the Soul world tour in April, in Seoul, South Korea, but it looks like ARMYs will have to wait. There are currently a confirmed 7513 coronavirus cases in the nation, and 58 deaths. “The current global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has made it impossible at this time to predict the scale of the outbreak during the dates of the concert in April, alongside increasing uncertainty about the cross-border movement of concert staff and equipment,” read a statement from the K-pop band, according to our sister site Variety. It’s unclear if tickets will be refunded, or when the shows will be rescheduled.
Avril Lavigne has canceled her March shows in Italy and France due to their restrictions about public gatherings during the pandemic, telling her fans, “I am so disappointed about [it]. Wishing you all continued good health and safety. Please contact your point of purchase to receive a refund.” Ciara, who is heavily pregnant, rescheduled a planned USO performance at Fort Hood, Texas under the recommendation of her doctors, she announced on Facebook. “I urge everyone to be diligent in taking steps to stay healthy and safe!” she wrote.
The cancellations continue! Mariah Carey has rescheduled a planned show in Hawaii to November due to “evolving international travel restrictions,” but promised her fans something awesome in return: she’s be performing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the first time ever in Hawaii at the show. Green Day has also made the “difficult decision” to postpone upcoming concerts in Asia and advised their fans to “hold on to your tickets” for when the new dates are revealed. Note that these are not dates for Hella Mega, their upcoming tour with Weezer and Fall Out Boy — that begins in June.
Pearl Jam, legends of the Seattle grunge scene, have postponed the first leg of their tour, which was supposed to kick off on March 18 in Ontario, Canada. Washington state, including Seattle, has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with 162 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 23 deaths. “As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate,” the band said in a statement. “We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level.”
They also condemned President Donald Trump for his inaction on addressing the coronavirus pandemic and downplaying the risk. “It certainly hasn’t helped that there’s been no clear messages from our government regarding people’s safety and our ability to go to work,” the band said. “Having no examples of our national health department’s ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead.”
COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, has infected 117,973 people worldwide. The deadly virus originated in Wuhan, China, but has quickly spread to nearly every continent. At this time, 4264 people have died after contracting the virus; 65,040 patients have recovered. The virus typically starts off with flu-like symptoms, such as a fever and/or dry cough, according to the CDC. After a week, it typically progresses to shortness of breath and other respiratory issues, with about 20% of patients requiring hospitalization. If you think you have COVID-19, the CDC is recommending self-quarantining at home for 14 days.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
