The Coachella music festival in the southern California desert has been postponed for six months, until October because of concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus.
"Coachella will now take place on October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 18, 2020. Stagecoach will take place on October 23, 24 and 25, 2020. All purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates. Purchasers will be notified by Friday, March 13 on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend", the statement said.
One of the biggest music festivals in the world, Coachella annually brings some 500,000 fans to an enormous open-air site in Indio, about 125 miles east of Los Angeles. Some netizens were angered by the decision.
The number of people who have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus worldwide now exceeds 118,000 and more than 4,200 have died. The virus has spread to more than 100 countries since emerging in China in December 2019, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.
California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing pandemic. The first coronavirus-related death in California was reported last week.