For the first time in over 100 years, the Sydney Royal Easter Show has been cancelled due to the coronavirus threat.
The announcement comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison advised against mass gatherings of more than 500 people to try and stop the spread of COVID-19.
The popular annual agricultural show attracts around 800,000 during the 12-day event, which was due to run from 3 – 14 April this year.
Disappointing
President of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Robert Ryan OAM said it was distressing and disappointing to cancel the show for 2020.
“There are many people who will be very upset by this decision, and this is the first time the Sydney Royal Easter Show has been cancelled because of a public health emergency since the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919,” Mr Ryan said.
The Easter show, which was first held in 1823, is Australia’s biggest ticketed event.
Big Impact
Chief Executive of the Royal Agricultural Society Brock Gilmour said from today, they will start the task of communicating with all stakeholders and help them adjust to the impact the cancellation will have, as reported in 9News.
“We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to deal with priority concerns including refunding or holding over competition fees, refunding tickets purchased by the general public and unwinding contracts with hundreds of suppliers,” Mr Gilmour said.
“This process will take weeks and we will work hard to keep our stakeholders informed as we work through the detail.”
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