Last week, Ultra Music Festival released a statement assuring festival-goers that the festival was not canceled as of yet. The threat of the COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus, has been spreading around the world and affecting travel plans everywhere. While it had reached the United States, it had not yet reached Miami. The possible spread was being treated as a possible emergency situation.
Now, two of Miami’s elected leaders, Commissioner Joe Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez, have called for the postponement of the festival, citing concerns of the spread of the virus. Ultra Music Festival brings in thousands of festival-goers from more than 100 countries around the world. The two leaders, along with City Manager Art Noriega, met with an Ultra representative for an hour this Wednesday morning to discuss the request and come to a resolution. A resolution was reached, however, the decision made has not been made known to the general public. All parties involved declined to give comment or detail what happened, instead of telling reporters that this Friday. March 6, at 9am there would be an announcement.
According to Suarez, some loose ends still need to be tied up with the decision that was made.
What does this mean for ticket holders? No one knows for sure. For most, travel and accommodations have were secured a while ago. Some airlines are being flexible when it comes to cancellation due to the virus, but many may still come to Miami anyway. While some people believe that a postponement is a logical step, others believe that the city is overreacting. Last week, the United States had its first coronavirus death in Washington State, and the CDC is warning that the potential public threat health to the U.S. could be high. As of March 3, the immediate health risk of the coronavirus to the American people is considered low, but it is being treated with caution, especially in major cities. Ultra was taking active steps in consideration of its festival-goers, including extra sanitizing stations everywhere, but for those in charge of the city of Miami, it may not be seen enough.
For those with an Ultra ticket, be sure to tune in on Friday to find out whether or not plans have changed.
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