Coronavirus: Aye Write book festival shelved amid virus fears

Prue LeithGetty Images

Bake Off star Prue Leith was due to appear at Aye Write

One of Scotland's largest book festivals has been cancelled over coronavirus fears.

Aye Write was due to take place from 12 to 29 March in Glasgow but organisers announced on Friday that due to the number of participants pulling out, they were forced to cancel.

The festival is the latest in a long list of events which will not go ahead as the pandemic evolves.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland rose to 85 on Friday.

Scotland and the rest of the UK has now moved into the "delay" phase in its response to the outbreak.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday that widespread school closures were not yet necessary - but from next week restrictions would be placed on gatherings of more than 500 people.

She said this was designed to reduce the impact on the emergency services, rather then preventing the spread of the virus.

As Scottish football made the decision to shut down for the forseeable future, the events and entertainment industry also began to announce cancellations.

'Potential options'

The Aye Write website said: "In recent days we have been receiving an increasing number of cancellations from people due to take part in Aye Write who are understandably concerned by the constantly evolving coronavirus situation.

"In the last 24 hours it has become clear we can no longer deliver anything like the festival we had promised and in the interests of our audience, authors, publishers, volunteers and staff we have taken the decision not to carry on with this year's festival at this time.

"We are considering potential options for running some of the programme in the future and will contact ticket holders directly as soon as possible."

The festival was due to welcome a line-up of authors including Maggie O' Farrell, Val McDermid, Joanna Trollope, Bak -Off judge Prue Leith, Strictly Come Dancing's Anton Du Beke, and Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge.

Chef Tom Kerridge was another author due to take part in the book festival

The Glasgow Short Film Festival 2020 has also been postponed amid the outbreak.

Organisers said they hoped to reschedule the event for later in the year.

Director Matt Lloyd and co-director Sanne Jehoul said: "GSFF is committed to prioritise public health and safety, and although according to government guidance we fall within the restrictions on public gatherings, we feel obliged to take responsibility for our audiences and guests.

"Today we feel tremendously heartbroken. Tomorrow we will start working on the best possible alternative we can deliver. We will share details about this very soon, and we hope that we can welcome guests and audiences to GSFF20 at a later date.

"We send our deepest apologies to you all - our audiences, supporters, partners, guests, volunteers and staff. We urge you to stay safe and follow guidelines."

Organisers said that tickets and passes would be refunded in full.

Cancelled: What's not on in Scotland

  • The SEC Campus in Glasgow, which includes the Hydro, Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Armadillo, has published guidance for visitors on its website. A spokeswoman said the campus is hopeful that the majority of of any events affected will be able to reschedule to a future date. Major events cancelled already include the Scottish Golf Show and the Country to Country Festival.

  • The P&J Live arena in Aberdeen has also published advice for the public on its website but Sunday's gig by Lewis Capaldi is scheduled to go ahead. The VisitScotland Expo, due to take place on 1 and 2 April, has been cancelled".

  • The Ambassador Theatre Group, which runs the Playhouse in Edinburgh and the King's Theatre and Theatre Royal in Glasgow, said the venues continue to operate as usual as they do not require the attendance of emergency services. But a spokeswoman added: "Should further guidance be issued, we would of course follow any new Scottish and UK government advice."

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The Who's gig at the Hydro on 23 March has been cancelled

  • The Edinburgh International Festival has cancelled its Edinburgh and London launch events on 18 March and will instead stream the event on Facebook Live.

  • The Scottish Green Party has cancelled its spring conference

  • The VisitScotland Expo in Aberdeen, due to take place on 1 and 2 April, has been cancelled after a "significant number of cancellations"

  • The Who concert in Glasgow on 23 March is off after the band postponed its UK tour

As part of the new measures aimed at delaying the peak of the outbreak until the summer, people experiencing symptoms are being urged to stay at home for seven days, but not to call their GP or NHS 24 unless their condition deteriorates.

Those who have been in contact with someone who is experiencing symptoms should only stay at home if they also begin to experience symptoms.

Nicola Sturgeon said widespread school closures at this stage could be ineffective as young people might gather informally and still spread the virus.

She said there was also concern that closing schools as a precaution would lead to key workers staying off work to look after children.

She did, however, advise that all overseas school trips should be cancelled.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has said there will be no changes to the exam timetable "at present".

It urged learners, parents, schools and colleges to "continue to prepare as normal".

All current deadlines for coursework and other assessments remain in place and the exam timetable is currently scheduled to run from 27 April until 4 June.

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