BTSandGreen Dayare calling off select tour dates amid the globalcoronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, both bands announced that they would be canceling upcoming shows in parts of Asia, where the virus hasspread dramatically. BTS, whose highly anticipatedMap of the Soulworld tour was set to kick off in Seoul, South Korea, pulled the April 11, 12, 18 and 19 shows in response to the region’s health concerns.
“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,” reads astatementfrom the K-pop boy band, translated from Korean, according toVariety.
The Bangtan Boys added that the decision was made “after extensive and careful consideration” and asked for “understanding” from their loyal fans, who will receive refunds.
“While we hope that the situation will improve, we must take into consideration the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of guests, as well as our artists and the dire impact a last-minute cancellation may have on guests from overseas, production companies and staff.”
John Shearer/Getty Images
Wrote the band onTwitter: “We have unfortunately made the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming shows in Asia due to the health + travel concerns with coronavirus. We know it sucks, as we were looking forward to seeing you all, but hold on to your tickets we’ll be announcing the new dates very soon.”
Both groups released new albums this month: BTS dropped their seventh studio albumMap of the Soul: 7on Feb. 21, and Green Day debuted Father of All… on Feb. 7, the band’s 13th album to date.
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Green Day, Nov. 24, 2019.John Shearer/Getty Images
The current coronavirus outbreak, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has prompted world leaders to take drastic measures to crack down onfurther spread.
On Thursday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that all elementary, middle and high schools beshut down for one monthto avoid spread among teachers and students in tight quarters in classrooms. Parts of Chinaimplemented disinfectant procedures for cash, having banks clean and quarantine money before recirculating it into the public.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control said that abigger outbreak in the United States is imminent.
“It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country anymore but a question of when this will happen,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.
source: people.com
