IIFA 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus scare, fresh dates soon

The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2020 has been cancelled due to growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The event was scheduled to be held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh from 27-29 March. Fresh dates will be announced soon.

A statement issued by the organisers read, "With due regard to the growing concerns around the spread of the COVID-19 virus and keeping the health and safety of IIFA’s fans and the general community at large, after consulting the Madhya Pradesh government, the IIFA management, and stakeholders from the film industry, it has been decided to postpone to a later date, the much-awaited IIFA Weekend and Awards 2020 celebrations, which were originally scheduled at the end of March 2020."

The statement further read, "A fresh date and plans for hosting IIFA in Madhya Pradesh will be announced at the earliest. IIFA is fully committed to ensure the safety of the citizens and legions of IIFA fans who travel from across the globe to attend and experience the magic of IIFA. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused, and hope that all concerned understand the sensitivity of the situation." 

A growing number of Hindi film celebrities and actors have already cancelled international travel, and events, owing to the threat of the virus. Deepika Padukone's latest withdrawal from the Paris Fashion Week was also for the same reason.

In an official statement to IANS, Padukone's spokesperson said, "Deepika Padukone was scheduled to travel to France to attend Louis Vuitton’s FW2020 Show at the ongoing Paris Fashion Week but she had to cancel the trip due to the worsening of the coronavirus situation in France."

There have been 29 confirmed cases in India so far. The virus has so far infected close to 95,000 people worldwide, and resulted in the death of close to 3,000 people.