IFFLA postponed due to coronavirus scare

The India Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), which was scheduled to take place from April 1 to 5, has been postponed, the organisers announced on Friday.

In a statement IFFLA chair of board, Christina Marouda, said the decision was taken to "combat the spread of coronavirus pandemic".

"Given the recentdevelopments around coronavirus, IFFLA has made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone this year's Festival from April 1 st -5 th to a later, to-be-determined date in 2020. In doing so, we stand in solidarity with leading cultural institutions and festivals and the recommendations of the CDC and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, by taking proactive steps towards combating the spread of the coronavirus pandemic," Marouda said.

"The well-being of our guests, partners and staff is paramount. We will continue to closely monitor the situation for the best timing to reschedule the festival later this year," she added.

The news follows a series of big postponements and cancellations in California including the Coachella desert music festival and the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Across the US, events including the Las Vegas CinemaCon movie theater summit, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival in New York have been called off or postponed.

New York's Broadway theatre district on Thursday cancelled performances for a month to avoid large public gatherings.

American rock band Pearl Jam also postponed the first leg of their North American tour, while pop star Mariah Carey has shifted a planned concert in Hawaii over the COVID-19 outbreak.

The deadly coronavirus virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4925 lives and infected more than 131,500 people worldwide.

A total of 37 people have died in the US while the confirmed cases of infection have risen to 1,300.