Coronavirus: Sport, entertainment and political events cancelled or postponed
Written by News on 15/03/2020
A number of sport, entertainment and political events across the country are set to be affected by the government’s plans to ban mass gatherings.
Here are some of the events around the world that have already been cancelled or suspended because of the COVID-19 outbreak:
Sport
The 2020 London Marathon, originally set for 26 April, has been postponed until 4 October.
The Football Association says the Premier League is suspended until 4 April.
Next week’s Champions League and Europa League matches have been postponed.
Wales vs Scotland in the Six Nations has been postponed.
England’s cricket tour of Sri Lanka has been cancelled.
In the US, all major sport has been suspended, including the NBA and NHL.
F1 grands prix in Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam have been called off.
Key Points
- Anyone entering New Zealand will have to self-isolate for 14 days
- US President Donald Trump has declared the outbreak a national emergency
- More than 145,000 cases and almost 5,500 deaths have been declared worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University
- Italy recorded 250 cases in a day, bringing its total to almost 18,000
Politics
The local and mayoral elections in May have been postponed for a year.
Restrictions are being imposed on visitor access to the Palace of Westminster.
In the US, Louisiana’s governor will postpone the state’s primaries from 4 April until 20 June.
Arts/Showbiz
Disneyland has closed its parks around the world until the end of the month. It has also suspended new departures on its cruises.
Universal Studios Hollywood is closed until the end of March, as is Universal Orlando Resort.
In New York, Broadway shows have been suspended until at least 12 April after the NY governor banned gatherings of more than 500 people.
The Who was due to start a tour of the UK and Ireland on 16 March but this has been cancelled, to be rescheduled for later this year.
Californian festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have been postponed until October.
Pearl Jam has cancelled 17 performances in the US and Canada between 18 March and 19 April. New dates will be scheduled.
South Korean boyband BTS has cancelled its concerts in Seoul during April.
Green Day called off shows during March due to take place in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
Heavy metal band Slipknot postponed concerts in Asia due for the end of March. New dates have not been announced.
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The National has cancelled shows in Tokyo on 17 and 18 March.
Ellen DeGeneres said her show was halting production until 30 March but said she “can’t wait to come back – I’m already bored”.
Talkshow host James Corden said his programme The Late Late Show was being suspended “for the time being”.
Conferences/Memorials and Commemorations
In New Zealand, the memorial service for the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks on 15 March has been cancelled.
New York’s St Patrick’s Parade was postponed.
London’s St Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations on 15 March have been cancelled.
F8, Facebook’s annual conference for developers, has been replaced with local events and live-streamed content. The social networking site also cancelled its Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco.
The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – the biggest smartphone conference of the year – has been cancelled.
The E3 video game convention due to take place in Los Angeles in June has been cancelled.
The ASEAN summit in Las Vegas, which connects leaders of southeast Asian nations, has been postponed.
Most of Japan’s cherry blossom festival has been cancelled, as has Okinawa’s azalea festival.
Sky News will broadcast a special coronavirus programme at 6.30pm tonight, with experts answering your questions #AskSkyNews
(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Sport, entertainment and political events cancelled or postponed
