Thiroshnee Moodley lights up colourful clay lamps in preparation to celebrate Diwali during the two day Diwali (Festival of Lights) Hindu festival celebrations at the old Drive-Inn in Durban, on October 19, 2019. Picture: Rajesh JANTILAL / AFP
A second international event, the popular Festival of Chariots, has been postponed in Durban as the fear of the spread of the coronavirus tightens its grip on SA.
“With the uncertainty around the risks of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers of the Durban Festival of Chariots have decided to postpone the much-loved festival to a more appropriate time, later this year,” event organisers announced on their Facebook page.
The health and well-being of attendees was the primary reason cited for the decision.
“The decision has been taken in careful consultation with all stakeholders who place the health and safety of local and international guests, participants and the greater community as top priority.”
The family cultural festival, which takes place on the picturesque Durban beachfront, was scheduled for the Easter weekend.
“The organisers look forward to sharing the new dates and plans for the exciting festival soon,” the statement said.
In a meeting with the Provincial Council of Aids in KwaZulu-Natal, Premier Sihle Zikalala said this week that there was a severe economic impact in the province because of the virus.
“The situation is affecting us in various forms. Socially there is panic, economically we are already experiencing a decline in people coming into the country. There are less bookings in flights and cancellations by various international people who were supposed to come through.”
The World Football Summit (WFS), which was meant to be held in Durban from 17 to 18 March, was cancelled on Thursday.
“In the light of the ‘Covid-19’ outbreak, which has been officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Football Summit has been forced to make the difficult decision to postpone the celebration of WFS Africa,” the WFS said in a statement.
It said that after closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak and assessing the risk to visitors, it postponed the event “to guarantee the well-being of all our visitors”.
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