Festivals may not return until 2022 according to Australia Chief Medical Officer

Music festivals and indoor concerts may be two of the final restrictions to be lifted in Australia as its Chief Medical Officer has stated that they may not return until 2022. With a huge amount of uncertainty around the world as to when life will begin to return to normal, authorities are sending mixed messages regarding the permissions of large gatherings. Whilst some events are being given the go-ahead over in the United States, countries such as Australia continue to take a completely different approach with a ban still standing over non-essential gatherings of over 100 people.

Addressing the public, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has explained that he would not allow large events to go ahead until after a vaccine for the virus becomes available and until the country can stabilise the number of new infections reported each day. Currently he is aiming to test 40,000 to 50,000 Australian’s per day for the deadly coronavirus. Regardless of how soon a solution to the problem may be solved though, it appears music festivals and indoor concerts are not the priority on Murphy’s agenda as the government looks a bit further ahead at returning life to normal in the near future.

Health and safety may not be the only factor to consider once the country recovers in the aftermath of the virus; as can be imagined, many businesses are struggling financially at this time. This could spell bad news for major festivals and events, as event companies may not be able to afford to put on the events on the same scale, if at all, after losing a years revenue; it may also mean that contractors and event crews may not come out of the other side either. Travel restrictions also weigh heavy on event organisers as international artists might have to spend as much as 14 days in quarantine after landing on Australian soil.

With some countries beginning to re-open their nightclubs and lift bans on large gatherings, and some other extending their closures, we hope that authorities come to the right decisions and take the right steps to ensuring our safety first and foremost. Hopefully other countries can follow suit very soon and we will see Australian festivals such as Electric Gardens, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Ultra Australia return very soon.

Image Credit: Rukes.com