The Governor of California Gavin Newsom has stated that concerts and other “mass gatherings” are unlikely to return this summer, until the state gets to herd immunity and a vaccine. Newsom addressed this during a recent press conference, after answering a question asked by a reporter about whether events will take place this summer.

“The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine,” Newsom explained. “So large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers, all together across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations.”

Concert tours and festivals have been either cancelled, postponed or rescheduled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide since at least March. Prominent festivals such as Coachella and Stagecoach, which both take place in Indio, California during the month of April, have been moved to October, however Newsom’s recent announcement may cause further delays.

This sentiment echoes what other healthcare and music industry professionals have stated regarding the virus.  Bioethicist Zeke Emanuel, a vice provost for Global Initiatives and director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that concerts and sporting events are unlikely to return until next fall.

While many companies and medical professionals have been working on developing a vaccine, it is unlikely that one will be readily available by the end of summer. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of the lead members of the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force, has stated that a vaccine won’t be available for widespread use for another 12-18 months.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna