DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has formally requested the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) to postpone the Expo 2020 Dubai in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
According to details, the international Expo 2020 was scheduled to take place in October this year in Dubai. It attracts around 25 million visitors; however, the government of UAE had requested the BIE for a postponement of World Expo 2020 Dubai until next year.
The statement declared, “Following consultations with the BIE, participating countries, and key stakeholders, the UAE has proposed 1st October 2021 to 31 March 2022 as the new opening dates of Expo 2020 Dubai.”
However, the BIE Executive Committee unanimously agreed to propose the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai. The officials, in this regard, would hold a virtual meeting on 21st April to discuss further options seeking a change of dates.
A final decision on a change of dates will be only be made by a two-thirds majority vote of BIE member states. The number of coronavirus cases has surged past 1,200 in UAE with nine reported deaths.
The country has imposed an extended lockdown to curb the spread of the virus including an ongoing nighttime curfew.
The UAE has reported a further 483 new coronavirus infections that bring the total number of COVID-19 cases in UAE to 8,238.
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