(UPDATE: 3/16/20 4:45 pm ET) — Anna Wintour acknowledged the postponement of the 2020 Met Gala on March 16. “Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will be postponed to a later date,” Vogue‘s editor-in-chief wrote in her May letter. This year’s theme was “About Time: Fashion and Duration.”
(ORIGINAL: 3/16/20, 3:53 pm ET) — The 2020 Met Ball has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak throughout the globe. The news was discovered when Met staffers received an internal email on Monday afternoon, which noted that the museum “will remain closed through Saturday, April 4,” according to Vogue. The decision comes on the heels of new guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as government officials in an effort to combat coronavirus.
It was advised over the weekend that there should not be any gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks. Therefore, the museum decided that “in deference to this guidance, all programs and events through May 15 will be canceled or postponed,” including the gala, a Met spokesperson reportedly added in the email. The annual event, which is widely considered fashion’s biggest night, was initially scheduled to take place on May 4 in NYC.
As of Monday, March 16, Mayor Bill de Blasio advised all bars, restaurants, daycares, schools, and other non-essential businesses to close — excluding hospitals, grocery stores and pharmacies. However, restaurants can still offer takeout and delivery, as long as customers do not dine in the facilities. Additionally, a curfew from 8pm- 5am has been put in place for all New York residents.
“Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues must all close. The order will go into effect Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 AM,” the mayor tweeted.
The 2020 Met Ball’s celebrity co-chairs include Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière, Vuitton ambassador Emma Stone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Meryl Streep.
The Met’s decision comes soon after the museum announced last Thursday, March 12 that it would temporarily close to visitors, after two staffers experienced possible symptoms of the virus.
The news also comes as more celebrities — some of which have attended the Met in prior years — continue to come forward with coronavirus announcements and updates.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the first two stars to reveal that they tested positive for coronavirus while filming a movie in Australia. The actor, 63, broke the news in an Instagram post on March 12, and said that both he and his wife, 63, were in isolation together in Australia. Just five days later on March 16, it was confirmed that Tom and Rita were released from the hospital and self-quarantined in a rental home. Other celebrities who’ve come forward with diagnosis’ include actor Idris Elba, 47, and Utah Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert, 27, and Donovan Mitchell, 23.