Expo 2020 Dubai exploring one-year postponement due to coronavirus outbreak

Expo 2020 Dubai is exploring a one-year postponement due to the global novel coronavirus pandemic.

The organisers said in a statement on Tuesday (Mar 31) the Steering Committee will follow the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) processes on making the decision to delay Expo 2020 Dubai. BIE will now work with member states and Expo 2020 Dubai to set a change of dates.

"A final decision on postponement can only be made by the BIE's General Assembly. Article 28 of the BIE Convention stipulates that a change of dates requires a two-thirds majority vote from the BIE Member States," said the organisers in the statement.

The six-month event was scheduled to run from October 20 this year to April 10, 2021. 

"While everyone involved in Expo 2020 Dubai remains firmly committed, many countries have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and they have expressed a need to postpone Expo’s opening by one year, while they focus on overcoming this challenge," said the organisers.

Expo 2020 Dubai was scheduled to have 192 countries participating, and was expected to pull in some 25 million visitors. 

© SalaamGateway.com 2020 All Rights Reserved