Ultra Music Festival Postponed Amid Coronavirus Concerns

This year’s Ultra Music Festival has been postponed due to concerns about the lethal coronavirus outbreak.

On Wednesday (March 4), a City of Miami source told NBC 6 that the music event, originally scheduled to kick off at Bayfront Park on March 20-22, has been pushed back indefinitely. What’s more, commissioner Manolo Reyes, who is in agreement with delaying the event, also insinuated the disease epidemic could determine the fate of the Calle Ocho Music Festival as well.

In light of the outbreak, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has been consulting with Ultra organizers alongside City Commissioner Joe Carollo. "This event is very unique, because you have people traveling from over 100 countries, according to their website, from around the world, it presents a unique event where there are unique threats, possible threats to the residents of the City of Miami," said Suarez, who insists the decision will be announced soon.

According to NBC 6, there have been over 95,750 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 162 confirmed in the United States. As of March 2, health officials have confirmed six deaths related to the deadly virus. 

The rising fears and concerns involving health risks has prompted Suarez to act fast. "Just in the last 24 hours I have received countless emails, messages, on all kinds of fronts, urging the city to act, and that is another major motivator for us to have this conversation now before it gets too late and it gets too advanced in terms of the preparations for this event,” he said.

While there have been no known cases of the coronavirus in South Florida, Carollo assured, “Our main responsibility is to the health, safety and welfare of our citizens.”

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