The coronavirus has been making its way around the world and caused the cancellation of some major events – most notably Ultra Music Festival and SXSW in the United States. Those of us slated to go to Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals have been waiting with bated breath to see if the virus will cause a cancellation or postponement.
If you have been following the news, Riverside County has adamantly insisted that the show would go on. Today, it broke out that Riverside County has some confirmed coronavirus cases. The count is currently at 4 – one coming from a cruise ship and the source of the other uncertain. More than 100 people are currently self-quarantined in Riverside, doing so after coming back from impacted countries.
The confirmation of new cases has led Riverside County to declare a public health state of emergency, even though the state California as a whole has already been in a state of emergency. Riverside has been unable to test locally for the virus as their lab is undergoing renovation and not currently certified by the state, but that should change by next week.
In this county state of emergency, the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells was canceled. Despite this, health officials state that they are still not pushing for the cancellation of Coachella and Stagecoach. Canceling these events would cost the area a huge loss in money, so their hesitancy is understandable. While some libraries and observatories are closing, most schools still remain open. A petition has been started by local residents to cancel the festival and nearly 15K people have already signed it.
County health officials said Monday morning they are still not pushing for the cancellation of large events such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival or its country music festival counterpart Stagecoach, which are scheduled over three weekends in April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
As this situation is fluid and changes daily, we are going to keep tabs on the most recent news, so be sure to check back here for updates. As always, be sure to wash your hands as recommended by the CDC to keep yourself healthy.
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