The Met Gala Will Go On As Planned Despite Coronavirus Concerns

Several major events, including Coachella, South by Southwest, and The Shorty Awards, are being cancelled or rescheduled due to Coronavirus. But the Met Gala's Coronavirus response is taking people by surprise. As of press time, the fashion industry’s biggest night of the year is still a go. On Wednesday morning, The Cut reported that the Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, is still on. “We are proceeding as planned and look forward to a wonderful evening,” Nancy Chilton, Chief External Relations Officer at The Costume Institute, announced. She added, “We will of course continue to keep a close eye on the situation.”

The Met Gala 2020 theme is “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” co-chaired by Nicolas Ghesquière, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, and Anna Wintour. A press release from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art described it as considering “the ephemeral nature of fashion, employing flashbacks and fast-forwards to reveal how it can be both linear and cyclical.”

The gala is traditionally held on the first Monday in May, which would make the moving of such an event (for which the museum closes) quite difficult.

The world seems to be taking the Coronavirus pandemic day-by-day, so there is no telling where The Met's decision will stand days or weeks from now. At the moment, however, celebrities and fashion industry insiders can anticipate that the Met Ball will go on as planned.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here.