The entertainment industry as a whole is taking a profound impact as a side-effect of this growing virus, with The Outer Worlds and the new James Bond film being delayed, whilst in music, numerous gigs have been shut down.
It's entirely understandable, given the volatile nature of the virus, with it rapidly spreading across the world; in England, there have been two confirmed deaths, and the number of those infected has risen dramatically to over 100. With so many cases, such as the two baggage handlers at Heathrow carrying COVID-19, it makes sense as to why musicians would want to stop major gatherings of people.
For the first time in its 34-year history, the US media festival SXSW has been canceled. It is an annual event that is hosted in Texas, and a plethora of different mediums take center stage, from film to TV to music.
We are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants.
Statement from event hosters at SXSW
On top of this, rapper Stormzy has canceled their appearances in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China, and South Korea, although they did say that they will be back after issuing a statement on Twitter where they said, "Due to the ongoing health and travel concerns surrounding the coronavirus, I'm regrettably having to reschedule this leg of the tour."
Mariah Carey is another star who has canceled appearances, although their reasoning was due to "international travel restrictions" which have reportedly pushed a concert in Hawaii from March 10 to November.
K-Pop stars BTS were originally set to give a performance in Seoul in April, but this has been postponed indefinitely amidst the South Korean government's new policies that are restraining events with large numbers of people gathering.
US singer Avril Lavigne has also shut down one of her shows - she will no longer be making an appearance in Zurich on March 13, as she said, "I am so sad to announce that we are unable to tour to the Asian markets due to the continuous outbreak of the coronavirus. [We] are completely bummed out."
Slipknot, a heavy-metal band, were set to continue their Knotfest festival that they began in 2012, but they have canceled their appearances in Asia "in light of global health concerns."
Green Day, who was touring to promote their new album, have shut down their concert appearances in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan, which were set to take place in March.
New Order, Mabel, Foals, The National, The Pixies and Sam Fender are also amongst the many musicians to shut down their tours, particularly in Asian markets, due to to the coronavirus, and so it's safe to say that COVID-19 is causing major disruptions in the music world.