“Advantage is a better soldier than rashness,” said David Walsh, quoting Shakespeare while announcing the decision to "kill" this year's Dark Mofo - one of the most iconic festivals in the country held every year in Hobart - due to COVID-19 outbreak.
The list of events that are being cancelled or postponed due to the virus is growing every day. In Italy, which is grappling with the worst outbreak after China, all live performances, including concerts, theatre and screenings have been cancelled by a government decree until 3rd April 2020.
While the country of 60 million is in lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19, some of the well-known musical stars have come up with creative solutions to entertain their fans and help them fight the "lockdown loneliness".
Rock star Gianna Nannini joined the #iorestoacasa campaign to help promote what she calls a "responsible attitude" towards the new measures implemented in Italy.
“The worst thing about this virus is loneliness. Each of us must make ourselves available to our community. I am in Milan and I want to organise online acoustic rock serenades to be close to everyone safely".
She is hosting her performance on her Instagram account on Thursday when the singer will perform some of her latest songs and also interact with her fans online.
“We will do everything possible to overcome this terrible moment together. The human being must start from his weakness, from his fragility, to discover new forgotten things, without being gripped by fear," the star said.
Many other musicians are following the example and joining the campaign.
Pop-icon Lorenzo Cherubini AKA Jovanotti entertains fans with chats about music on his Instagram channel.
Malika Ayane has just launched an Instagram account @decameretta - a "space to share music, experiences, knowledge and professional skills".
Classical musicians are also contributing to this campaign. Voce All’ Opera, an experimental company specialized in low-cost works, is creating productions to be watched through social media.
“During this period, we are like chefs without customers but we want to continue feeding others," says Gianmaria Aliverta, the director and founder of the company. "Our audience is currently in abstinence. We want to give them something new, and perhaps it is the right time for us directors to start using social media in a more creative way, adapting the works to new forms."
The World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday with over 118,000 confirmed cases across the globe and over 4,200 deaths.
Italy has recorded over 10,000 cases of coronavirus infections with 631 deaths since the outbreak was first reported, prompting the authorities to introduce some stern measures that require people to stay home and reduce to the minimum the time spent shopping, working or buying medications.
