Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Steel Pan Music Community and Industry

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
The Coronavirus 2019 - COVID-19

The Coronavirus disease 2019 is real. It’s here. And it has and will impact on every aspect of our lives globally. Family gatherings, weddings, sports events, college classes, travel and world cruises have already been severely impacted to name a few. And of course this virus will threaten and impact every aspect of Steelpan and Steelband music life. There have already been documented cases in the Caribbean:  Dominican Republic, St. Martin, Martinique and Saint Barthelemy (St. Barts).

Below, please listen to a recent podcast from one of the leading authorities on infectious diseases.  Bettina Fries - Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Professor of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York - provides a sobering discourse on how we got here.  Where we are to date.  And the way forward.

In the interest on keeping our communities informed, and curtailing misinformation - When Steel Talks will share continued information, updates on the virus movement and impact.  Check back here often as the data is fluid.  We will also be tracking potential cancellations of steelpan music-related events attributed to COVID-19.  There are already multiple major global concert/music events that have already been cancelled.  See some of them.

Click below (New York Sports and Beyond) to take in what Dr. Bettina Fries said on the podcast on sports network ESPN regarding COVID-19.

Bettina Fries is a nationally recognized physician-scientist in the field of microbiology. The focus of her research is on the pathogenesis of chronic infection by the pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans, as well as investigations on the efficacy of anti-infective antibodies. She has been investigating both the host response to chronic C neoformans infection and the molecular mechanisms that allow the fungus to change based on the host response. She is also focused on the development of monoclonal antibodies against Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and Klebsiella pneumonia.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) (BNO News / BNO Noticias Coronavirus tracker

*** Click here for an alternative link to real time data on Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Cases - by Johns Hopkins CSSE

*** A Critical Review of ESPN’s Podcast - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

COVID-19-related Cancellations Announced in March

March 1 - Set It Off called off dates in Asia on Sunday, "due to unforeseen circumstances and for everyone's safety." The band also canceled their opening slots for Jimmy Eat World on March 12 and 13 in Manilla and Singapore, respectively.

March 2 - Wolf Parade cancel European and U.K. dates for the tour supporting their latest album, Thin Mind. The first show was scheduled for Mar. 2 in the Netherlands.

March 2 - Lacuna Coil cancel their tour of Asia and Australia. "Our home region of Lombardia, Italy, is in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak," a statement reads. "Everyone’s health and safety must come first and this includes our fans."

March 2 - The National canceled their March 17 and 18 shows in Tokyo for "the interest of public safety." In an online statement, The National said, "We look forward to returning in the future and performing for our friends in Japan." The group was set to see support from Phoebe Bridgers.

March 3 - Maluma postpones his upcoming concert in Milan amid the outbreak in Italy.

March 3 - Ultra Abu Dhabi -- the Middle Eastern edition of the Miami-based festival -- is canceled. It was set to happen March 5-6.

March 3 - Mariah Carey has postponed her Honolulu date until November. "I was so excited to come back to Hawaii on my 'anniversary month' but evolving international travel restrictions force us to consider everyone's safety and well being," Carey wrote on Instagram.

March 3 - British singer Yungblud calls off a tour slated to kick off in South Korea, as well as shows in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore, according to NME. “At first I was going to say, ‘F--k it’ and come, but we have been advised again to seriously not,” the singer reportedly explained in an Instagram story.

March 4 - Ultra Music Festival's flagship Miami festival scheduled for March 20-22 is called off, according to city officials. Slipknot postpones a planned Asian tour slated to kick off on March 20 with the two-night Knotfest, while fellow hard rockers Whitesnake, Sons of Apollo and the Michael Schenker Fest all cancel dates.

March 4 - As a result of Apple pulling out of this year's SXSW festival -- along with Twitter, Amazon, TikTok, Facebook and other major companies -- Spike Jonze's Beastie Boys Story documentary is not slated to premiere at the event. Nine Inch Nails has also dropped out of the film portion of the annual fest in Austin, Texas, tweeting, "We're sorry we won't be giving our Watchmen keynote at SXSW this year (because we had some surprises in store!) However, it was the right decision."

March 5 - Louis Tomlinson tweets to fans that the President of the Council of Ministers had decreed that his March 11 show at the Fabrique in Milan has been called off.

March 5 - Queen and Adam Lambert notify fans that the group's planned May 26 show at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris has been postponed "following a government decree in France to cancel all indoor events over 5,000 capacity in France until 31st May in an effort to contain the spread of Coronavirus." The band says they are working with the promoter to reschedule the date and will announce a new one soon.

March 5 - Organizers of Tomorrowland Winter in France announce that they have canceled the 2020 winter edition of the electronic dance music festival due to health concerns connected with the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Tomorrowland Winter 2020 was set to run March 14-21 at the French alpine ski resort of Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine Ski.

March 6 - In a major blow to the Austin, Texas music community, the 2020 SXSW festival cancels its entire event. The loss of the interactive, film and music events with an estimated $356 million economic impact on the city comes after Austin's Mayor, Steve Adler, declared a local disaster due to COVID-19 fears. It marks the first cancelation of the entire event in its 34-year history.

March 7 - 1980s "Take On Me" band a-ha cancels its Japanese tour, saying it will be rescheduled at a later date. "We were really looking forward to seeing our fans & friends in Asia, but the safety of our fans has to come first of course," they write. The affected dates include early March gigs in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya.

March 7 - Ciara postpones a performance at the USO Fort Hood slated for March 19. The 34-year-old singer, who is pregnant, says, "With the continued spread of the coronavirus throughout the U.S., as a pregnant woman, my doctors have advised me to limit travel and large group gatherings,” in a statement according to the Associated Press. “I am disappointed I won’t be able to return this month to the place where I was born, Ft. Hood Texas, and put on the amazing show we had planned.” The show is now slated to take place later this year.

March 7 - Country band Old Dominion pulls out of their planned appearances at the Country Country festivals in the UK. "After much consideration, we have decided to withdraw from our upcoming performances as part of the @c2cfestival in Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, London, and Glasgow,” the band writes. "We are so sorry to disappoint our fans overseas; however, with the growing uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the virus that is spreading throughout the world, the safety and security of our entire team is the top priority."

March 8 - Richard Marx reschedules his first European tour in nearly a decade, pushing it from the spring to the fall due to the global health crisis. “We all decided that it was for everyone’s own good, it was for the best interest of the health of everyone I’m counting on to come see me play," he says in a video announcing the news. "I’m super bummed, selfishly. I was really, really excited about this tour…Every show was sold out. I haven’t played in Europe in eight or nine years at least. The fact you guys supported this tour the way you did made me even more excited to play."

March 9 - Madonna's Madame X Tour has come to an abrupt halt due to new restrictions on public gatherings implemented in France amid the COVID-19 virus spread."Following official notification from the Office of the Police this morning prohibiting all events with an audience attendance of over 1000, Live Nation regrets to announce the final two Madame X performances previously re-scheduled to 10-March and 11-March are forced to be cancelled," reads a note on Madonna's site.

March 9 - Pearl Jam was scheduled to kick off its North American tour on March 18, but the four-month long run is postponed amid coronavirus fears.

March 9 - The 2020 editions of Coachella and Stagecoach will need to be moved to later this year, or canceled altogether, admit organizers Goldenvoice.

March 10 - Miley Cyrus cancels her trip to Australia for the World Tour Bushfire Relief concert, due to concerns relating to the coronavirus outbreak. Lil Nas X, The Veronicas and Seb Fontaine were also booked for the now-canceled concert, originally scheduled for Friday (March 13) in Melbourne.
 

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