Met Gala postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic

Fashion’s biggest night of the year has been postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Anna Wintour said that in light of the novel coronvirus pandemic, the Costume Institute’s “About Time” exhibit and the Met Gala will be postponed indefinitely.

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The Met Gala was scheduled to take place on May 4 and was set to be hosted by Meryl Streep, Emma Stone and Lin Manuel-Miranda and sponsored by Louis Vuitton and Condé Nast.

“Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, ‘About Time,’ and the opening night gala, will be postponed to a later date,” Wintour announced on Monday.

“In the meantime, we will give you a preview of this extraordinary exhibition in our forthcoming May issue,” she wrote in her latest Vogue editor’s letter.

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The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art also confirmed the news that the Met Gala was postponed.

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“The CDC advised over the weekend that there should not be any gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks,” a representative for the Costume Institute said. “In deference to this guidance, all programs and events through May 15 will be cancelled or postponed.”

In an internal memo to the Met staff, it was announced that the Metropolitan Museum of Art “will remain closed through Saturday, April 4.”

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

— With files from the Associated Press