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Coronavirus fears spark event cancellations around San Diego region

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Amid continued concerns about the coronavirus, more event cancellations and postponements were announced today, including the Kyoto Prize Symposium at UC San Diego and the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering at Miramar College, which was scheduled for Saturday.

The Kyoto Prize symposium, which attracts international leaders in advanced technology, astrophysical sciences and theater, was planned for March 18-19. It will be rescheduled, according to a UCSD Twitter post that did not specify a new date.

Several conferences at the San Diego Convention Center were canceled, including the Parking Industry Expo (March 22-25), the Experimental Biology annual meeting of five biology societies (April 4-7), and the American Medical Group Association (March 25-28). Collectively, more than 20,000 attendees were expected at those conventions, according to Convention Center officials.

On Tuesday, the American Association for Cancer Research canceled its April 24-29 annual meeting at the San Diego Convention Center. Organizers had anticipated more than 24,000 attendees from 80 countries and 500 exhibitors.

"This evidence-based decision was made after a thorough review and discussion of all factors impacting the annual meeting, including the U.S. government's enforcement of restrictions on international travelers to enter the U.S.; the imposition of travel restrictions issued by U.S. government agencies, cancer centers, academic institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies; and the counsel of infectious disease experts," the cancer research organization said in a statement. "It is clear that all of these elements

significantly affect the ability of delegates, speakers, presenters of proffered papers and exhibitors to participate fully in the annual meeting."

San Diego Comic Con — the convention center's largest annual event with 135,000 estimated attendees — is still planned for July 23-26, but organizers said that could change pending the COVID-19 situation.

"Comic-Con is working with local officials as it pertains to the COVID-19 situation and continues to monitor developments closely," they said in a statement released Tuesday. At this time both shows, WonderCon Anaheim and Comic-Con in San Diego, are moving forward as scheduled. As always, the safety and security of all our attendees is of utmost importance. Please rest assured that these concerns are being taken very seriously and we will not make any decisions regarding the rescheduling of shows without weighing all considerations carefully."

Pearl Jam's April 13 show at San Diego's Viejas Arena is off. The Seattle-based grunge band decided this week to suspend its spring tour dates amid coronavirus concerns.

"As residents of the city of Seattle, we've been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate," the band's Facebook post reads. "So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives... So it is with deep frustration and regret that we are forced to make this most unfortunate of announcements... This scheduled first leg of our PJ/Gigaton tour will need to be postponed and

shows rescheduled for a later date."

On Tuesday, the San Diego Opera announced it was canceling several performances of "Aging Magician" at the Balboa Theatre after the artists opted not to travel because of the coronavirus outbreak, and Voice of San Diego canceled a live podcast with City Councilman Mark Kersey that had been scheduled Wednesday on the UCSD campus.

A town hall event to address Latino health, which the Institute for Public Strategies had planned to hold in Chula Vista on Thursday, was canceled.

 

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