For many of us, the current global crisis is like nothing we’ve experienced before. The entire world came to a halt as the novel coronavirus rapidly spread to every corner of the world. While some places appear to be in the recovery phase, there is still a long way to go before the disease is eradicated. Currently, a ‘new normal’ is upon us as we learn to live with the disease and protect ourselves from contraction. These are some of the cancelled events in Italy as a result of coronavirus.
Cultural events
For Italy, culture is one of the driving forces for people visiting the country. Every year the Italian state hosts a variety of events to showcase its rich history with visitors attending from different parts of the country and the globe. The introduction of COVID-19, which claimed more than 32,000 lives, gave Italians a different turn of events. As of early March, many events were cancelled due to the spread of the virus. The Venice carnival is a world-renowned gathering that takes place annually. The event anticipates an estimate of 3 million people and lasts for a couple of days. This year the event was cut short due to the spread of coronavirus in Italy. The next expected date for the event is Sat, January 30th 2021 – Tue, February 16th 2021.
The famous Carnevalone Liberato di Poggio Mirteto in Lazio scheduled to begin March 1st is another victim of COVID-19. Many other smaller events were called off by local authorities and event organizers as a result of the pandemic.
Trade shows and events
Milan, which was one of the cities badly hit by the virus, had to cancel its famous showcase of high-end fashion. The Milan Fashion Week was closed to the public as a precautionary measure for public safety. As the country went into lockdown, many events and trade shows had no choice but to follow suit, and postpone or cancel their events.
Other cancelled or postponed trade shows include:
- Milan Furniture Fair
- Parma Mercanteinfiera event
- Bologna’s Children’s Book Fair
- The International Journalism Festival
Cancelled Sports Events in Italy
At the start of the pandemic in Italy, several sporting events in the regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Piedmont were cancelled. By mid-march, it became clear that there would be no sporting events in the foreseeable future as the number of infections began to rise drastically.
The Italian football league, rugby and volleyball federations, as well as The Bologna Marathon, were some of many sports events that had to be cancelled. With the virus spreading at an alarming right, avoiding person-to-person contact has proved to be one of the best ways to prevent contagion. As lockdown measures start to ease, Italians can expect the reintroduction of non-contact sports.
As it stands, it is unclear when the government will allow mass social gathering and events in Italy again. The main priority is to restore the economy while keeping the virus from spreading.
READ ALSO: A Bold Move To End Lockdown In Italy
