Health Expert Says There May Not Be Concerts Again Until 2021

In order to keep people safe, there may not be concerts until 2021, according to Zeke Emanuel, director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

Speaking on a New York Times panel about how America will reopen after the worst of the Coronavirus passes, Emanuel said:

"It does have to start with more physical distancing at a work site that allows people who are at lower risk to come back. Certain kinds of construction, or manufacturing or offices, in which you can maintain six-foot distances are more reasonable to start sooner. Larger gatherings -- conferences, concerts, sporting events -- when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility. I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest."

While this is by no means an official decree, the prospect of there being no live music (not to mention sporting events) for another 18+ months did not strike Twitter users particularly well. In fact, judging from the responses, you'd think this was the worst news to come out of the pandemic so far.

Again, this is one health expert's opinion and it is not the rule of law yet, and there will be much to analyze in the coming months as the world dips its toes back into normal life. Still, Emanuel's opinion is a grim reminder that we may be in for long, hard times.