Ultra Music Festival Will Go On, Despite Coronavirus Concerns, Says Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Despite concerns over the coronavirus and the upcoming Ultra Music Festival, the show will go on.
Tuesday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez tweeted, "We're not canceling any major events in Miami-Dade County, such as Ultra, following the guidance from Florida's Surgeon General on #Coronavirus."
When CBS4 News caught up with Mayor Gimenez, he explained further.
"Yesterday, I asked the Surgeon General and the Governor if there was any need to cancel any upcoming events like Ultra, tennis tournament, Youth Fair and their advice was to live your life normally, so not to cancel these events. If conditions change, that decision may be reversed, we may have to do something more drastic but at this time, we are not anticipating any cancelling of these events."
In addition, there is a statement on the Ultra Music Festival website, under 'Health and Wellness,' that reads, "Event organizers have been coordinating with the Florida Department of Health regarding public health issues and will continue to coordinate with and follow the recommendations and protocols relating to risk reduction and preventative measures by, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Florida Department of Health and other regulatory agencies. There are no plans to cancel, postpone or move the 2020 production."
The three-day music festival is scheduled to open March 20 at Bayfront Park and bring with it a capacity of 55,000 people per day, many of them visitors from more than 100 countries.
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Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Monday the City is working with the festival to prevent a potential outbreak.
Event organizers have said they will install hand sanitizer stations all across festival grounds and put extra effort into promoting health and hygiene across the 3-day music festival.
The festival is also required to update their safety plan, and it will be up to the City to decide if that is enough.
Ultra's website statement also reads, "The health and safety of our attendees, artists, and staff are of paramount concern to us and we will continue to follow the recommendations of the experts respecting issues on public health."
