#Covid-19: Concerts may not return until Autumn 2021, says US healthcare expert

Don't shoot the messenger.

Concerts and festivals may not return until Autumn 2021, a US healthcare expert has said. Bioethicist and professor of healthcare management Zeke Emanuel has said that due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, music events may not return in their traditional format until late next year. He told The New York Times that he does not believe it to be "a plausible possibility" that concerts and festivals will be able to go ahead in 2020. “Larger gatherings – conferences, concerts, sporting events – when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility," he said. "I think those things will be the last to return (...) Realistically we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest.” Covid-19 is now the leading cause of death in the United States, a spot that had historically been covered by heart disease and cancer. The country's death toll currently stands at over 23,500 while there are 587,337 active confirmed cases. Many concerts and festivals cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus have been rescheduled to take place later this year. Organisers of Coachella, Lollapalooza South America and Dreamville Festival have all postponed their events until the end of 2020, while European festivals like Glastonbury and the Edinburg Fringe have been cancelled. Many of Ireland's major festivals including Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit, and Body & Soul have yet to announce an update regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. Both organisers of Electric Picnic and Body & Soul - which take place in September and June respectively - have said that the festivals are aiming to go ahead as planned.