Rachel NguFollowing the raise in Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) alert level to Orange in Singapore, an advisory was issued by the government to cancel or postpone large scale events or gatherings to minimise community transmission. In chronological order, here are some of the events in Singapore that have been cancelled or postponed until further notice as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Also read: Facts Vs. Myths: What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus
FEBRUARY
Chingay (9 Feb – 21 Mar)
All Chingay 2020@Heartlands which were set out to occur across February and March will be cancelled. A total of 10 heartland celebrations were cancelled.
GOT7 World Tour ‘Keep Spinning’ in Singapore (22 Feb)
Another concert happening in Singapore affected by the COVID-19 outbreak is that of KPOP boyband GOT7. The band which started out its third world tour in May 2019 unfortunately had their months of touring disrupted due to the discontinuation of the second part of the world tour in Asia. The concert scheduled for 7 March in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has also been cancelled.
Image credit: Live Nation
HSBC Women’s World Championship (27 Feb – 1 Mar)
The 12th edition of the HSBC Women’s World Championship where the greatest female golf players vie for the tournament crown has been called off. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and its partners made a call to cancel the much anticipated HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, as well as the Honda LPGA Thailand following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Singapore Mental Health Film Festival (27 Feb – 1 Mar)
The Singapore Mental Health Film Festival is among the events in Singapore that have been postponed amid the COVID-19 epidemic. Initially scheduled with a lineup of films, panel discussions and workshops aiming to facilitate mental illness discourse, the event will be postponed to a later date.
NATAS Travel 2020 (rescheduled to 1-3 May)
The semiannual travel fair originally scheduled for February has been rescheduled to 1 to 3 May 2020 at Singapore Expo Halls 4B & 5. Travel offers, deals and promotions are among the things to look forward to at Singapore’s largest travel fair!
MARCH
Huayi 2020 Chinese Festival of Arts (selected March performances)
The Huayi 2020 Chinese Festival of Arts began on the 31st of January and has been running across the month of February. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Esplanade has cancelled some of the performances involving schools and Chinese artists. Four Dreams in the Camellia Hall and Virtuosos of Chinese Music are among the cancelled performances originally scheduled for March.
iLight Singapore 2020 (06 – 29 Mar)
Singapore’s favourite annual light art festival has been postponed. The reasons cited for the postponement included the foreseeable contact that visitors will have with the artworks and other individuals. Another factor was to provide a buffer for artists who faced delays in the construction of their artworks.
IT Show 2020 (12 – 15 Mar)
The annual IT Show is among the events in Singapore that have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It has been announced to be postponed as a precautionary measure. An update will be announced at a later date.
Khalid Free Spirit World Tour Asia 2020 Tour (26 Mar)
In light of travel restrictions and advisories in affected Asian countries, the Khalid Asia tour will be postponed until further notice.
Other upcoming events in Singapore that may be affected:
APRIL – JUNE
- HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens (11 & 12 Apr)
- World Gourmet Summit (20-26 Apr)
- Singapore International Arts Festival (15 – 31 May)
- Ultra Singapore (June)
- Food & Beverage Fair (25 – 28 June)
- World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 (22 – 28 Jun)
- GSS (June – July)
Also read: Highly Contagious: Coronavirus, Racism, and Xenophobia
