KISS has scrapped its previously announced meet-and-greet events on the "End Of The Road" tour due to the unfolding coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
KISS manager Doc McGhee released a statement announcing the cancelation, explaining that the bandmembers "have been advised to temporarily" call off these events as authorities struggle to keep people out of crowded places as the virus continued to spread.
"Our Meet and Greets have always offered us and you our fans a unique opportunity to literally stand shoulder to shoulder together," McGhee said in the statement. "After many discussions with experts in the field, we have been advised to temporarily cancel these events given the reality that we do this nightly for a hundred or more fans. Shows will continue as scheduled and we look forward to resuming our time with you backstage."
Around 100,000 people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus and more than 3,000 people have died — the majority in China.
According to the Centers For Disease Control And Protection (CDC), coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person — between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet), and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
The agency is recommending that people avoid "close contact" with anyone showing flu-like symptoms.
As the disease officially called COVID-19 continues to spread, concert organizers have been canceling or postponing events across the globe.
Preliminary estimates suggest that the death rate associated with COVID-19 is between one and two percent, which is higher than the average death rate associated with seasonal flu strains, at around 0.1 percent.
KISS is in the middle of the "End Of The Road" farewell tour, which is scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City.
"End Of The Road" kicked off in January 2019 in Vancouver and resumed on February 1, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
