A recent report by the New York Times has left fans of live music in a state of panic. The news publication spoke with oncologist and bioethicist, Dr. Zeke Emanual, about the country returning to normal. While the report offers a lot of insight into the economy as a whole, many live music fans' ears perked up while reading the section on large gatherings. Unfortunately, Dr. Emanual has concluded that live events like concerts, conferences, and sporting events will likely not return until "fall 2021 at the earliest."

In a quote from the New York Times article obtained by Stereogum, Dr. Emanual speaks on restarting the economy and how he believes that events rescheduled for October of this year are impossible. In his own words:

"Restarting the economy has to be done in stages, and 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."

If what he said holds true, we should expect a second string of festival cancelations in the coming months. Stay tuned for more coverage on how COVID-19 is affecting the EDM world.

H/T: Stereogum