Miami officials consider postponing musical festival amid coronavirus threatcloseVideo
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Some Miami city leaders are calling for a three-day music festival that attracts people from around the world to be suspended amid fears of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,200 and sickened thousands more.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and city Commissioner Joe Carollo said Wednesday they want to suspend the Ultra Music Festival slated to be held from March 20-22 at the city's Bayfront Park.
Elected officials reportedly met with festival organizers to discuss the event and will make an announcement Friday, the Miami Herald reported.
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Carollo, who chairs the government agency that manages Bayfront Park, said he does not want to cancel the event, but instead postpone it.
“We’re saying suspend it to a later date when we’ll have a better idea of where we’re heading with the coronavirus,” he told reporters Wednesday while standing next to Suarez, according to the newspaper.
Suarez said residents have asked the city to consider canceling the festival, which has a capacity of 55,000 people per day, or postponing it.
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“I can tell you that just in the last 24 hours, I have received countless emails and messages of all kinds urging the city to act,” Suarez said. “That is another major motivator to have this conversation before it gets too late.”
He added that the city has the authority to cancel the event but hasn't as of yet.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez tweeted Tuesday that plans for the festival would continue after receiving guidance from the state surgeon general.
"The county continues to monitor all information from federal and state health authorities for any changes in risk levels, and protocols will change as needed," Gimenez's office told Fox News.
Messages from Fox News to event organizers were not immediately returned.
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Florida has three confirmed coronavirus cases, according to information from Johns Hopkins University.
An Ultra Music Festival event expected to run from Thursday to Friday in Abu Dhabi was canceled, according to Billboard. Organizers haven't given a reason for the cancellation.
The United Arab Emirates has 27 confirmed coronavirus cases.
"The local organizers of Ultra Abu Dhabi have canceled the upcoming event," the festival announced. "Tickets will be refunded through original point of purchase."
