With the sad news of club closures and event cancellations becoming commonplace around Europe it has been confirmed in the early hours of Thursday, March 12th that all flights to the United States from Europe will be bar UK will be grounded. This move from Donald Trump will have wide-reaching implications not just for the electronic music community in the United States but also for any trade or cargo crossing the Atlantic. There will, of course, be exemptions for Americans who have undergone advanced screening. These actions will go into force on Friday at midnight and will be in effect for the next 30 days. This move will also have a big knock-on effect on the upcoming Miami Music Week which is due to kick off on Monday, March 16th as well as Coachella Festival which has now been postponed until the weekend beginning Friday, October 16th and Friday, October 23rd.
This stateside news comes on the back of Berlin venue Berghain also closing its doors until April amid fears of the virus being passed between ravers at the underground nightspot. With Panorama Bar being home to Perlon’s label showcase Get Perlonized the move is designed to limit the virus being spread around the city and between visiting party-goers. Several other German promoters and venues have also followed suit and halted their schedule until further notice as a direct result of Chancellor Angela Merkel confirming that all events of 1000+ shall be banned until April. This action has also been employed by Catalonia which is the Spanish region home to Barcelona. From Thursday, March 12th all events with 1,000 or more will be banned, the result is that venues such as Razzmatazz and Nitsa Club have already canceled their events going forward.
The good news in all of this is that in some cases, is that smaller, more private events are still going ahead all be it with a stronger stance on cleanliness. So, again to reiterate the warnings from health officials if you are feeling ill please seek medical attention immediately and remain in your home. Please take all the precautions possible to remain healthy and to not spread the virus further. As with all cases of domestic or international travel during these trying times, ensure that you research the circumstances of your current country and where you are traveling to and act accordingly. If you are in any doubt if your planned event will be going ahead promoters will keep those attending well informed so check the usual social media channels and together we will beat this virus and we will again be dancing together as we are meant to be.
