Abu Dhabi International Book Fair postponed due to coronavirus

On Wednesday, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi said that they had decided to postpone the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on the back of the ongoing global coronavirus outbreak.

The 30th edition of the prestigious book fair was scheduled to be held next month from April 15-20, and has now been moved to May 23-29, 2021, and will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

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The statement on the website added that: “The move is a precautionary measure to protect public health.”

The announcement comes in the wake of the postponement of a slew of other high-profile events in the UAE including the UAE Tour, the Dubai International Boat Show, Art Dubai and Ultra Abu Dhabi which have all been cancelled as precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

In February, the organisers of the Abu Dhabi art fair had announced German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as its Focused Personality for the 2020 edition of the book fair.

The UAE reported six new cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of the Covid-19 coronavirus infections to 27. The Dubai Health Authority confirmed on Wednesday that a school student and parent were also infected.

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