BTS cancels tour dates over coronavirus outbreak

One of the most popular boybands in the world, BTS, has cancelled tour dates due to coronavirus, the band announced on Twitter via its fan site Thursday. BTS isn't the only group to cancel upcoming performances, with more than 83,000 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease in more than 50 countries. 

The South Korean band announced that its April tour dates in Seoul will be cancelled, and fans with tickets will get refunds, according to Entertainment Tonight, a ViacomCBS property.

"It is unavoidable that the concert must be canceled without further delay," said the group's official Twitter account shared in Korea, according to ET. "Please understand that this decision was made after extensive and careful consideration."

South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 256 new coronavirus cases Friday, according to Reuters. That brings the total number of infections there to at least 2,022.

The K-Pop group was expected to kick off its Map of the Soul tour at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul. However, the world tour will no longer start on April 11. It appears the first BTS show will be on April 25 in Santa Clara, California, ET reports. 

BTS was just one of many artists to cancel tour dates over coronavirus concerns, including fellow K-Pop groups Taeyon and NCT, which nixed shows in Singapore. 

American band Green Day also announced on Thursday they were canceling Asian tour dates. "We have unfortunately made the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming shows in Asia due to the health + travel concerns with coronavirus. We know it sucks, as we were looking forward to seeing you all, but hold on to your tickets we'll be announcing the new dates very soon," the band's official Twitter account shared.

In:
• South Korea
• COVID-19