The sports world has already seen the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Italy has officially banned fans from attending any sporting event, professional baseball players are declining to sign autographs during spring training and a non-profit advocacy group is asking the NCAA to encourage fans not to attend tournaments game later this month.
The entertainment world meanwhile has been impacted as well as organizers behind the South by Southwest Arts and Music Festival in Austin, Texas have opted to cancel the event this year. Other major festivals such as Glastonbury Festival in England and Coachella organizers are monitoring as well.
The organizers for Festival International de Louisiana is also keeping an eye on the Coronavirus.
Festival Executive Director Scott Feehan released a statement over the weekend on the issue. Feehan wrote:
“To all Festival Supporters, patrons, and the entire Lafayette community,
I wanted to take a moment to share our thoughts and position about the current Coronavirus, COVID-19, situation, as it pertains to Festival International de Louisiane.
With Festival being 47 days away, we are monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as Louisiana Department of Health’s websites for daily updates and are heeding their advice on proactive measures to take.
There is not currently any eminent threat associated with the planning of Festival International de Louisiane. Because of this, we are continuing to plan for our annual festival to take place just as it does every year. We are hopeful and cautiously optimistic that the situation will actually improve between now and the end of April, but we are not assuming that it will or taking anything for granted.
In cooperation with public health officials, we will continue to monitor the situation and prepare for a safe and wonderful event at the end of April. We appreciate the concern from those who have reached out and intend to keep fans and the public updated if there are any changes with the ongoing production.
With sincere consideration,
Scott Feehan
Executive Director
Festival International de Louisiane”
Festival International de Louisiane is scheduled to run from April 22 to April 26 and held in downtown Lafayette.