The 2020 editions of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals will definitely not take place this year.
Both events were meant to have been held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California in April, but had been rescheduled for October due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, reports earlier this week indicated organisers were planning to cancel until 2021, and on Wednesday, officials from Riverside County's public health department confirmed they cannot go ahead, issuing an order that the two festivals are "hereby cancelled".
In his order, Riverside Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser wrote that he is concerned there will be a "fall (autumn) resurgence" in the spread of the disease, both worldwide and in California, and that the staging of international music events should not go ahead.
Kaiser added in a statement that given the "projected circumstances and potential," for a huge increase in cases, "I would not be comfortable moving forward. These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community."
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against the Machine were to headline Coachella with Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris, Lana Del Rey, Fatboy Slim also on the bill, while Carrie Underwood and Billy Ray Cyrus led the line-up for the Stagecoach country music festival.
