Dubai’s Expo 2020 postponed till Oct 1, 2021 amid COVID-19

PARIS: The Expo 2020 global trade fair has been postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 epidemic and will be held from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, the Paris-based organiser said in a statement.

Earlier, 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.

According to the statement, a two-thirds majority of member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) voted in favour of a delay requested by the United Arab Emirates, which the body said “allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19.”

“Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all,” The delay “also allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.

Unable to meet in a general assembly due to pandemic restrictions, BIE member states voted remotely on the delay.

The statement further said the vote technically remains open until May 29, however the required two-thirds threshold for approving the postponement was reached within a week of voting opening on 24 April. They also voted to retain the name Expo 2020 Dubai.

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 572 new coronavirus infections that bring the total number of COVID-19 cases in UAE to 9,322.