All events suspended through end of March
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has been affected by the coronavirus. It has suspended all programs through the end of March based the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) expanded guidance and the Nashville Metro Public Health Department’s recommendations.
The programs include all youth, family and school programming at the museum and within the Greater Nashville community. It has also postponed Songwriters Sessions, Musician Spotlights, film screenings and other programming currently scheduled in the museum’s Ford Theater, all through March 31st. The Hatch Show Print Block parties scheduled for both Friday, March 13th and Friday, March 27th have also been canceled.
The Hall of Fame also has proactive deep cleaning protocol in alignment with public health guidelines at all museum properties – the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Hatch Show Print, Historic RCA Studio B and the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – put in place.
The housekeeping staff will perform more frequent cleanings of high-touch surfaces such as door knobs, elevator buttons, bathroom fixtures, and counters.
The museum staff assist with frequent cleanings of elevator railings and buttons, audio wands, and railings on the bus for Historic RCA Studio B, among other things.
Signs placed conspicuously in high-traffic areas such as ticket registers, restrooms, and break rooms remind staff and guests of the CDC’s six steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19.
Supplies, including alcohol-based hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and facial tissue are available in high-traffic areas. With these supplies readily available to them, staff can make sure workspaces are clean and hygienic.
Staff encourage guests and colleagues alike to read signs and take advantage of the supply stations stocked daily with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and tissues.
As with any illness, if you have symptoms, please stay home, take care of yourself, and consult a physician. Please do not enter the museum or attend an event at the museum if you exhibit symptoms.
At this time, Metro Public Health is not requiring closures or cancellations, and the museum remains open to the public. The institution recommends guests practice social distancing when visiting the museum. The museum is proceeding with an abundance of caution and will continue to monitor information coming from public health officials including Metro Public Health, the CDC and the World Health Organization, and will take quick and appropriate action if deemed necessary.
The news follows the majority of the entertainment industry suspending productions through at least March 31st. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, has suspended all domestic and international touring through at least the end of March. Billboard reports that the company has instructed tours to return home in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak worldwide. The company will re-evaluate the outbreak in hopes to resume touring in May or June.
A slew of artists and festivals were either canceled or postponed due to the worldwide pandemic in the past week. Many acts, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, The Who, Pearl Jam, Dan + Shay, Sammy Hagar, Santana, Sons of Apollo, Zac Brown Band, Slipknot and others, had canceled or postponed spring shows due to the outbreak before Live Nation’s announcement.
Major festivals and events have also been canceled including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to shutting down 11 days early because of public health concerns, SXSW in Austin and the Ultra Festival in Miami. Promoters Goldenvoice Entertainment announced earlier this week that Coachella and Stagecoach have been pushed back six months to October 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville has also been rescheduled “in light of the tornado this week as well as growing health concerns over the coronavirus.”
The C2C: Country to Country Festival in London, Dublin and Glasgow has also been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak
The 35th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony set for May 2nd has also been indefinitely postponed. No new date has been set as of this writing.
The ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards are still slated to be held in Las Vegas in April, but organizers are monitoring the situation closely. CMA Music Fest organizers are also closely watching the outbreak as they prep for the June event in Nashville.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a worldwide pandemic. More than 125,000 cases have been reported in 110 countries with nearly 5000 deaths. However, nearly 70k people have contracted and survived the virus that was discovered last year.
On Wednesday (March 11th), U.S. President Donald Trump declared a 30 day travel ban to European countries, except the U.K., for foreign nationals that goes into effect at midnight on Friday, March 13th. He shares, “I am confident by counting and continuing to take these measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus,” per Fox News.