Although Glastonbury was the first major international concert to be cancelled this year, it will almost certainly not be the last.
Reports in various US outlets have it that Coachella has been cancelled, along with the Stagecoach festival, which covers country and folk music as well. Coachella 2020 had been cancelled, however organisers were aiming to have the festival up and running once again for the second week of April in 2021.
This now appears unlikely, as an official order by Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser has determined that the rise in variant coronaviruses is too great.
"This Order recognizes that both the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival are music concerts and gatherings of an international scope, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees from many countries, including several disproportionately afflicted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic," the statement reads.
"This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, thereby slowing the spread of COVID-19 in communities worldwide. If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk."
So far, the concert's organisers - Goldenvoice - have not yet publicly commented on the order, however this order does look to be pretty conclusive on the subject. No lineup for the 2021 festival had been announced so far.
