TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has decided to scrap its Asian tour next month over fears about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, which has afflicted over 9,800 globally.
The East Asian tour, slated between Feb. 6 and 15, had included stops in Seoul, Taipei, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The performance in Taiwan would have marked six decades since the esteemed orchestra last visited the island country, wrote CNA.
In a statement released on Thursday (Jan. 30), Andris Nelsons, the orchestra's music director, said the decision was made out of concern for the health and well-being of the musicians. Mark Volpe, the orchestra's CEO and president, noted the orchestra moved to cancel the entire tour after organizers in China called off the Shanghai performance.
It’s not the first time for the renowned orchestra to cancel its international tour abruptly. During its 1960 tour, a performance in Seoul was aborted due to political unrest, and a 1999 appearance in Beijing was canceled after the Chinese embassy in the former Yugoslavia experienced a bombing incident, according to AP.
Cultural and sporting events across China have been canceled as the country struggles to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus and places at least 50 million people under lockdown. The U.S. State Department issued the highest-level travel alert for China on Jan. 30, warning its citizens against visiting the country as the outbreak has been declared by the WHO to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
