CA Governor says concerts "unlikely" to return before a coronavirus vaccine is available
As talks about when the US can begin to reopen its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic ramp up, we’ve heard some discouraging speculation that concerts may not be able to resume for even longer — like until fall of 2021, according to one health expert. While some festivals have cancelled their 2020 editions entirely, others have rescheduled them for this fall, and tours have been announcing rescheduled dates around the same time frame, if not sooner. It’s hard to say whether or not those will go on as scheduled, perhaps with reduced attendance and mandatory mask wearing; California Governor Gavin Newsom isn’t counting on it, though. In a press event on Tuesday (4/14), when asked how the summer would “look different” for Californians, Newsom said:
The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine. So large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers, all together across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations…when you suggest June, July, August, that is unlikely.
Watch a video of Newsom’s statement below.
A vaccine for COVID-19 is, at best, 12-18 months away, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this month, and could be even further off.
There’s no official word yet on what this means for California festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach which have announced new October dates, but stay tuned for further updates.
