-Tokyo Disneyland will remain closed through early April instead of reopening next week, amid worries about the spreading coronavirus infections, operator Oriental Land Co Ltd said on Wednesday.
The company previously said it was temporarily closing the parks from February 29 through March 15, after the government urged that big gatherings and sports events be scrapped or curtailed.
–The Coachella music festival in the Southern California desert has been postponed for six months until October because of concerns over the coronavirus, organizer Goldenvoice yesterday.
The festival, one of the biggest in the world, brings half a million fans to an open-air site in Indio, east of Los Angeles, over two weekends and was due to take place on April 10-12 and April 17-19.
The line-up this year was headlined by Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean and Travis Scott.
At the direction of local authorities, “we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella,” Goldenvoice said in a statement.
“While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously,” it said.
The 20-year-old festival will now take place Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18.
Goldenvoice said it had also postponed Stagecoach, a country music festival held in Indio, to Oct. 23-25 from April.
The decisions follow the cancellation last week of the South by South West festival of film, music, technology that had been scheduled for March 13-22 in Austin, Texas.
Musicians have cancelled concerts in Asia and Europe because of the spread of the virus, and American rock band Pearl Jam on Monday announced it was postponing all of its planned U.S. and Canada dates through the end of April.
–Uber may suspend accounts of riders, drivers who test positive for coronavirus or have been exposed to it, the ride-hailing company said today.
The company, which has already taken action in some affected markets, said it had a team working around-the-clock to support public health authorities in their response to the epidemic.
Uber laid out the company’s detailed policy on the outbreak for all riders and drivers on its website, outlining the steps the company has taken to manage the situation.
“We have a dedicated global team, guided by the advice of a consulting public health expert, working to respond in every market where we operate around the world,” Uber said.
“We’ve already helped drivers in some affected areas, and we’re working to quickly implement this worldwide.”
–Thailand will temporarily suspend issuing visas on arrival to visitors from 19 countries and territories, including China, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, its interior minister said on Wednesday.
The suspensions were the latest measures imposed in the tourism-reliant Southeast Asian country, which has reported 59 cases of the virus and one death so far. Globally, over 113,000 people have been infected in over 100 countries.
“People from any country who want to come will need to apply for a visa with our embassies,” Minister of Interior Anupong Paochinda told reporters.
“Thai embassies everywhere will ensure that no sick people will travel to Thailand.”
