COVID-19 Forces Alkaline To Postpone New Rules Concert
Dancehall artiste Alkaline has been forced to postpone his highly anticipated New Rules concert due to the worldwide coronovirus pandemic.
Alkaline’s New Era Production, in a statement, announced yesterday that they decided to postpone the event which was set to staged on April 25th at the National Stadium in Jamaica.
“With the recent announcement of new travel bans and Jamaica’s labeling as a disaster area due to the Covid-19 virus threat, the New Era Production team has decided to postpone the April staging of the New Rules Festival. We are presently consulting our advisers on the best date to host the event, based on the predictions by medical experts on when this unforeseen virus will be contained,” their statement said.
Vendetta fans were eagerly anticipating the second ever staging of the concert, which was expected to see performances from the “Man Himself”, his MVP mates Mavado and Jahmiel, Jahvillani, Intence and I Waata.
Alkaline’s team were at first hopeful that the event slated could go on as planned, but said “since our last statement, this situation has evolved drastically. We are aware of the impact this virus has worldwide especially to the creative industry.”
Tickets purchased are still valid for the new date, which has not yet been announced.
New Rules is the latest dancehall event to be postponed or cancelled since COVID-19 outbreak reached the western hemisphere.
Yesterday, Alkaline’s Foundation donated much-needed cleaning supplies to the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston. The Foundation, formed in 2014 by the artiste’s management team, operates with the aim of giving back to the less fortunate.
The home’s caretaker, Mrs. Dunn-Ferguson, said “I would like to thank the Alkaline Foundation very much. We truly appreciate the donation which was timely and well needed and we truly appreciate the gesture”.
Alkaline’s manager and sister Kereena Beckford said, “While the home is presently on lockdown, the Foundation understood there was a need for the products and made them readily available. This is the first step to making a difference, but we sincerely hope that all Jamaicans pool together to combat the spread of the Covid-19 Virus”.