COVID-19 Prompts Saint Lucia to Cancel Iconic Jazz Festival

Image: This year's Saint Lucia Jazz Festival was to be the island's 28th annual edition. (Photo by Brian Major)

by Brian Major
Last updated: 2:58 PM ET, Fri March 13, 2020

A premiere Caribbean music festival is among the latest coronavirus victims. The Events Company of Saint Lucia and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority on Friday canceled the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, scheduled for May 7 to 9.

"While as of the time of this press release, there is no confirmed case in Saint Lucia, both of our closest neighbors - Martinique and St. Vincent - have confirmed cases," officials of the two organizations said in a joint statement. "And it appears as if it is only a matter of time before Saint Lucia has a confirmed case."

"There is, therefore, unanimous agreement that the priority has to be the health and safety of our people and having weighed all these considerations, the Events Company of Saint Lucia and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority see no choice but to cancel this year's Jazz Festival."

The parties discussed the festival's plausibility following the World Health Organization's March 11 statement declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, undertaking "take a hard and realistic look at the risks versus the benefits of continuing with plans" following the news. "Mass crowd events present enhanced risk factors regarding the spread of the virus," the officials observed.

The agencies have also conducted "discussions with [Saint Lucia's] chief medical officer and the Ministry of Health, so as to be guided by their expertise on this matter," the statement adds.

The government health authorities "are of course concerned about the nation's ability to handle this crisis if a Festival such as Saint Lucia Jazz were to take place, thereby placing greater demand on our healthcare resources in particular," the statement reads. "The situation of course is not unique to Saint Lucia."

This year's festival would have been the 28th year Saint Lucia has hosted the event, among the best-known of several Caribbean jazz and music festivals. This year's event has been planned as a continuation of an initiative launched last year to re-invigorate the event through a return to authentic jazz performances via a partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center.