Burning Man 2020 to "proceed with caution" amid coronavirus pandemic
News
Burning Man 2020 is to “proceed with caution” in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Nevada festival, which effectively sees a small town built in the middle of the desert, issued a statement confirming the news, with dates still set for Sunday 30th August – Monday 7th September. The announcement comes with a sensible warning, though, explaining that the situation will be subject to ongoing monitoring.
“Since our initial statement about the coronavirus (COVID-19), the situation has been evolving daily. We have been watching, reading and listening as new information and details emerge. Like all of you, we have been striving to understand what this outbreak means for our communities and our families,” the statement reads.
“We believe the responsible course is to proceed with caution and not make a premature decision one way or the other. For now, we are going to continue to thoughtfully and mindfully prepare for Black Rock City 2020. We have reached out to our government partners and have been working with state agencies in Nevada. We recently announced our Black Rock City 2020 Honoraria recipients and released our callout for designs for civic plazas near the Man Base. We will continue to consider the facts and make thoughtful, informed decisions about next steps.” Take a look at the full statement here.
Since February events across North America, the UK, Europe and Asia have been subject to postponement or cancellation as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, caused by a specific strain of the coronavirus. The fallout has devastated the festival sector, left artists without income and directly impacted vast swathes of the music and creative industries. Glastonbury 2020 is among the cancellations, with organisers now donating hand sanitiser, masks and gloves to health professionals in the NHS and other frontline workers. Read our view on how you can help support venues at this time.
