Tokyo's Nakameguro district cancelled its Cherry Blossom Festival. Photo / AP
Tokyo's Nakameguro district cancelled its Cherry Blossom Festival. Photo / AP
Planners of all types of events, from the biggest international concerts and conferences to the smallest community gatherings, are facing hard questions about whether to carry on as planned.
They all face the same conundrum: Is a public gathering worth the risk of spreading the new coronavirus?
Here's a briefrundown of some of the larger events around the world that have been modified or cancelled.
A message that reads "Coronavirus protect yourself and others" is displayed during the Six Nations rugby union international match between Scotland and France. Photo / AP
Sports Many international sporting events have been postponed, including Six Nations and Women's Six Nations rugby matches that had been scheduled for February and March, and the Hong Kong and Singapore Sevens.
Others have taken place with major changes, like the Tokyo Marathon, which was restricted to elite runners. Formula One has said that its upcoming Grand Prix in Bahrain will be closed to spectators, while the Chinese Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for April, was postponed.
Italy and Iran, which are contending with major outbreaks, have cancelled sporting events, and Greece barred spectators for a two-week period. FIFA announced Monday that it would postpone the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The BNP Paribas Open, a major tennis tournament that was scheduled to take place in Indian Wells, California, beginning this week, was cancelled after local health officials declared a public health emergency in the Coachella Valley because of a confirmed case of the coronavirus.
The biggest question in the sports world is the Tokyo Olympics, set to begin in July. Japan and the International Olympic Committee have said the Games will go on, but there have been discussions about a worst-case scenario: holding competitions without spectators. That approach will be used when the torch for the Tokyo Games is lit in Olympia, Greece, on Thursday.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy announced that public gatherings were banned. Photo / AP
Cultural events Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy announced Monday that public gatherings were banned and people would be allowed to travel only for work or for emergencies. Even church services are prohibited.
Ireland's government Monday cancelled all St. Patrick's Day parades, including Dublin's. Boston, a haven of Irish-Americans, cancelled its parade, too.
Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, asked the organisers of sports and cultural events to consider postponing or cancelling them. Some theme parks have closed, as have museums. Tokyo's Nakameguro district cancelled its Cherry Blossom Festival, and Okinawa is cancelling its Azalea Festival. Japan's National Tourism Organisation is maintaining a list of the attractions and events that have been cancelled.
Austin, Texas, cancelled the 34th annual South by Southwest festival after tech companies, including Apple, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, withdrew their participation. The music, tech and film festival was to run from March 13 to 22, with events planned throughout bars and party spaces across Austin, and at a convention centre.
Southern California's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was still on track to begin April 10. But a petition calling for its cancellation had gathered nearly 15,000 signatures by Monday evening.
The Ultra Music Festival in Miami was postponed until next year.
Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee's Yoshiro Mori, listens to questions from the media during a news conference in Tokyo. Photo / AP
Conferences and Education Many businesses and professional organizations postponed or cancelled conferences, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, which had organised a global health conference scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida. President Donald Trump had been among the scheduled speakers.
Schools throughout Italy, Iran, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and elsewhere have been closed because of the outbreak. This week, many American educational institutions announced they would also cancel classes. In the United States, Columbia and Princeton Universities were among those that announced they would move to online instruction.
