Tens of thousands of events have already been cancelled in China as a result of the spread of coronavirus. As more cases continue to pop up in the United States, many major festivals and other large gatherings are beginning to discuss plans to address the spread in our own backyard.
With Ultra Music Festival only three weeks away, as the first major event of the festival season, it’s important for the city of Miami and festival staff to consider possible steps to curb an outbreak.
Ray Martinez, a former police chief now Chief of Security for Ultra, said he received a call Thursday on coronavirus from Frank Rollason, Gimenez’s emergency director. “We haven’t had those conversations yet, but we will be having them,” Martinez said. “We’ve been monitoring it, obviously. Everybody has.”
In a statement, Ultra said it has plans for extra hand-sanitizing stations at the three-day event, and will be promoting health tips related to coronavirus with attendees. “There are no plans to cancel, postpone, move or scale down the 2020 production,” the festival said. “The health and safety of our attendees, artists, and staff are of paramount concern to us and we will continue to follow the recommendations of the experts respecting issues on public health.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez cautioned against “overreaction to a virus that remains a potential threat to Miami-Dade, rather than an actual one,” writes Miami Herald.
Ultra Music Festival goes down March 20-22 at Bayfront Park in Miami. Select tickets are still available here.
Photo via Rukes.com
