Moscow, Apr 5:The Government of the United Arab Emirates has requested the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) to change the dates of the World Expo 2020 event from October of this year to October of 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the BIE said.
“In solidarity with participating countries, following discussions with the BIE and the Expo 2020 Steering Committee, the Government of the UAE has notified the BIE of its request to change the dates of Expo 2020 Dubai to 1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022,” the organization wrote on Twitter.
Dubai was designated as a host of the international exhibition back in 2013. The UAE expected over 20 million people to visit the expo in Dubai this year. As many as 190 countries were expected to showcase their projects at the exhibition. The event was supposed to be held through April 10, 2021.
The BIE, founded in 1931, selects the World Expo hosts exhibitions, draws up conclusions on bids, assesses submitted projects, and analyzes the progress and results of exhibitions.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. To date, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world exceeds 1,192,000, 64,316 of which are fatal, according to Johns Hopkins University.
(AGENCIES)
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