At least the next two weeks of AEW Dynamite in Rochester, NY and Newark, NJ are likely to be canceled after local governments issued bans or advisements against large public gatherings today.
Next week’s Dynamite is currently scheduled at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY and the March 25 Dynamite is scheduled at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Newark show, which was set to include AEW’s “Blood & Guts” match, would be AEW’s largest audience to date.
Today, New York state governor Andrew Cuomo issued a ban on events with 500 or more people, which will likely lead to the Rochester show being postponed and next week’s show being moved to another location.
We are taking new actions to reduce the density of people across the state.
Starting Friday at 5pm, gatherings with 500 people or more will not be permitted in NYS.
Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50%.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 12, 2020
Also today, the mayor of Newark, NJ, Ras J. Baraka, said that he was “advising” that “all non-essential public gatherings” be canceled for at least the next 30 days. This is not an official ban yet, so AEW can still technically run the show as of now, though it seems that things are getting worse by the day.
MAYOR BARAKA AND ADMINISTRATION ADVISE THAT ALL NON-ESSENTIAL PUBLIC GATHERINGS BE CANCELLED FOR 30 DAYS DUE TO NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) CONCERNS
Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Administration today announced that due to growing concerns about the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the health and safety of the people of Newark, we are advising that all non-essential public gatherings be cancelled for the next 30 days. Additionally, his Sixth Annual State of the City Address, set for Monday, March 16, at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, has been postponed for at least 30 days.
A “non-essential group event” is defined as a gathering of 250 people or more for social, cultural, or entertainment events where people are not separated by physical space of at least four feet. Please note that this includes all festivals and parades.
Scheduling for all events will be re-assessed at the end of this period.
The New York state ban will also affect WWE’s scheduled house show at Madison Square Garden on March 22.
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