Due to growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, BTS has announced that they’re postponing their Map of The Soul world tour.
Originally, the K-pop group announced that only their concerts in Seoul, South Korea will not push through and tickets will be refunded. The tour was supposed to kick off in Seoul’s Jamsil Olympic Stadium on April 11, 12, 18, & 19.
They later announced that they were rescheduling their North American tour, affecting all dates from their two-night stint in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in April 25th to their final performance in Soldier Filed in Chicago, Illinois on June 5th and 6th. The Ticketmaster website announced at the time that rescheduled dates will be “announced soon,” and told fans to “Please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the new date.”
On Tuesday (April 28), they announced in a statement posted on Twitter that their European leg is likewise being rescheduled.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing government advisories on mass gatherings, BTS Map of The Soul – Europe has been postponed,” the statement read.
“Our highest priority remains the safety of our artists and fans as well as the global community,” the statement continued. “We ask for your generous understanding that this decision has been made in consideration of the health and safety of everyone involved.”
Several other artists have also announced cancellations and postponement of upcoming performances amid the coronavirus crisis. Many have taken to social media to give free performances to keep fans entertained as people continue to stay home and practice social distancing.
Live performances are not the only ones affected by the quarantine. Major events, including music and film festivals, have been cancelled or postponed. Several film and TV productions have been forced to shut down, and movie releases have likewise been pushed back while others are debuting via streaming amid theater closures.
The impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak on the TV and film industries appears to have prompted the 2021 Oscars to make some changes.
On Wednesday (April 28), The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences amended the rules and campaign regulations for the 93rd annual awards ceremony to officially allow streamed films to be eligible “for this awards year only.”
“Until further notice, and for the 93rd Awards year only, films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available on a commercial streaming or VOD service may qualify in the Best Picture, general entry and specialty categories for the 93rd Academy Awards,” the board said in a statement.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has already announced similar changes for next year’s Golden Globes in March. Any film that had “a bona fide theatrical release planned to begin in Los Angeles” from March 15 to April 30 may now be released on a TV format and will still be eligible.
However, the HFPA “will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on motion picture and television distribution and exhibition and may extend these suspensions of the Golden Globe award rules and/or may make other temporary variations to those rules as it considers appropriate in the future.”
