Large UK Asian concerts face cancellations over coronavirus

With the ongoing coronavirus causing havoc in the global economy, it will be the turn of the UK government laying down tighter restrictions to avoid spreading the deadly disease.

Boris Johnson’s government is expected to move the country into ‘delay’ phase later today, meaning tactics will be put into place at delaying the spread of coronavirus, rather than containing it. This will be the second phase of the UK’s strategy, the third will be mitigation.

During the ‘delay’ phase, there will be a noticeable change in daily life, with schools being shutdown and large gatherings such as concerts and football matches being banned.

With the economy already in turmoil, it’ll be concert promoters that will feel the pinch over the next couple of months, with the likes of Rock On Music, TLC Events, Grace Entertainments, Digital Bloom and White Rock Entertainment making some major decisions – to either cancel or postpone their already heavily promoted shows this spring.

Over the next six weeks, there will be a number of concerts that will be taking place including the ‘Indian Idol 11’ UK tour in London, Leicester and Bradford. There’s also singer Shreya Ghoshal and Shaan heading to the UK in April, along with Satinder Sartaaj. Outside concerts, there will the UK Asian Film Festival, Anup Jalota and Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding shows.

Post that, Kumar Sanu and Arijit Singh concerts have been scheduled – But a decision on those will only be taken after the response to the ‘delay’ phase.

Up until now, promoters and venues have been awaiting official advice from the government. Up until last night, The SSE Arena’s line to the press has been: “The wellbeing of all our visitors and staff members is our number one priority. The UK risk has been increased from low to moderate although the risk to individuals in the UK remains low and our events continue as normal. We are closely monitoring the situation and following advice from the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England. All visitors and staff are being asked to follow the current guidelines on maintaining personal hygiene.”

NEC Group in Birmingham has also up until now been issuing a similar statement.

The UK government is expected to announce details of the ‘delay’ phase later this afternoon, which will subsequently be followed by announcements by various concert organisers. It is not yet clear if all concerts will be banned – There has been speculation that medium sized events with up to 500 people may still be permitted.

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