Coronavirus fears threaten Coachella Music Festival
A case of the virus has been reported near the festival grounds.
With multiple music and corporate events being canceled in the wake of the Coronavirus, including SXSW, one notable festival giant that’s still expected to happen is Coachella Music Festival. That could change, though, with the virus just recently hitting the festival grounds’ Riverside County.
On Sunday (March 8), the Eisenhower Medical Center announced that their facility was treating a patient with a “presumptive positive for Coronavirus.”
“The patient is in isolation and Eisenhower staff have taken appropriate cautions in the treatment of this patient,” a statement from the medical center’s Twitter read.
“We ask the community to remember that Eisenhower’s medical professionals treat patients with infectious diseases every day and we are prepared to care for our community members,” the hospital’s statement continued. “Eisenhower continues to work closely with Riverside County Public Health, California Department of Public Health and within CDC guidelines.”
The Eisenhower Medical Center is about 25 minutes from the Coachella Festival grounds.
According to TMZ, Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser and his team are currently assessing who else could have been exposed to the virus and who the patient has been in contact with. As of Thursday (March 5), Kaiser has reportedly not advised Coachella staff to cancel the festival. However, in light of the newly confirmed case, that could change.
Riverside County follows both Orange and Los Angeles counties in declaring public health emergencies due to the Coronavirus. According to Billboard, over 20,000 music events have already been canceled or postponed this year in China and Hong Kong. SXSW’s recent cancelation arrived after several companies and entertainers had backed out the the event.
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against The Machine are currently set to headline Coachella. DaBaby, Summer Walker, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Ari Lennox and more are also expected to perform.