Safety over everything. That is the approach that government officials around the world are taking to help combat the spread of the Coronavirus Covid 19.
Puerto Rico is amongst the latest to issue precautionary measures. Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced declared a state of emergency after suspicions of multiple cases of the virus. At the time of the announcement, there hadn’t been any positive cases, but she wanted to set plans in place to prevent its spread. This included canceling all mass gatherings in Puerto Rico scheduled to take place through March 31.
AfroNation Puerto Rico was slated for March 18-21 just outside of San Juan. Concert organizers were already on the ground preparing for next week’s event when the announcement by the governor was made.
After getting word it was decided that the event would not move forward to ensure the health and safety of festival attendees and residents of Puerto Rico.
“Afro Nation organizers have today announced that with much
regret, they will not be going ahead with the festival due to take place in San Juan next week (March 18th-21st),” a statement from the festival said.
“The festival organizers have been monitoring the rapidly changing situation and working closely with the public health authorities and advisors. Given the current position, the health, safety, and well-being of customers and everyone involved is of paramount importance and this is not a decision that has been taken lightly.”
Information on how to go about requesting a refund should be sent out by March 16. There is no word yet if the event will be rescheduled but there is a new event, AfroNation Mexico, coming in the fall.
Related: 11 Events That Are Worth Traveling For In Early 2020
UPDATE: Afro Nation Portugal Festival Postponed To 2021 Due to Coronavirus
The festival was scheduled for July 17th through July 19th in Portimao, Portugal.
“In light of the recent Portuguese Government directive regarding large gatherings, Afro Nation Portugal will be postponed to July 1st – 3rd 2021, and all tickets will remain valid,” a statement reads on the website.
Organizers added that they are working on expanding the line-up for 2021 and confirmed that next year’s event will be one of the biggest Afrobeats line-ups of all time for Afro Nation Portugal.