Glastonbury organisers vow to go ahead with this year's festival

This year’s Glastonbury festival is set to go ahead as planned, despite concerns over the coronavirus reaching pandemic levels.

Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis confirmed the festival line-up in a statement on Thursday and said organisers are still ‘working hard’ to deliver the festival in June.

Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney and the Pet Shop Boys will join already confirmed headliner Taylor Swift at Worthy Farm, Somerset.

Line-up: Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis confirmed the festival line-up in a statement on Thursday and said organisers are still ‘working hard’ to deliver the festival in June

Ms Eavis added that ‘no one has a crystal ball’ to predict how the ongoing outbreak may effect the festival but bosses are hoping it will go off without a hitch.

Sharing the line-up, she wrote: ‘So, after much consideration given the current circumstances, and with the best of intentions, here is the first list of musical acts for Glastonbury 2020. ⁣

‘As things stand we are still working hard to deliver our 50th anniversary Festival in June and we are very proud of the bill that we have put together over the last year or so.

‘No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth!⁣⁣

Headliner: Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney and the Pet Shop Boys will join already confirmed headliner Taylor Swift at Worthy Farm (pictured in December 2019)

‘As always this is just a taste of what is to come, we plan to announce many more artists and attractions, area by area, over the coming weeks leading up to the full line-up in May.

‘In the meantime we post this with much love to all. ⁣⁣(There’s also a non-circular version of the line-up – and full text list – on our website now)’.

Kendrick Lamar will headline the festival on Friday while Lana Del Rey, AJ Tracey and Supergrass are also set to play.

Other stars including Robyn, Rufus Wainwright, Sinead O’Connor, Kelis, Charli XCX, Groove Armada, Fatboy Slim and FKA twigs have also been confirmed.

Good news: The Lover singer, 30, thrilled fans as she announced she’s set to headline Glastonbury 2020’s Sunday slot for the festival’s 50th anniversary

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are also set to perform, which will mark the former Oasis singer’s first ever solo appearance at the festival.

Taylor Swift confirmed she would be headline the festival with a black and white snap of her holding up a newspaper headline mock-up which read: ‘Sunday night Taylor made for Glastonbury’.

Captioning the image, she wrote: ‘I’m ecstatic to tell you that I’ll be headlining Glastonbury on its 50th anniversary – See you there!’

The star will be in good company at the festival as she joins previously announced acts Sir Paul McCartney and Diana Ross.

Performer: Dua Lipa, 24, is one of the stars apart of this year’s Glastonbury line-up

While Taylor will headline the Pyramid stage on Sunday, Sir Paul, 77, will occupy the lead slot on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Diana, 75, will take to the stage on Sunday afternoon as she’s set to wow fans during the ‘Legends slot.’

Confirming the news about Taylor, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said: ‘I’m so pleased to announce Taylor Swift will be headlining the Sunday at Glastonbury 2020.

‘She’s one of the biggest stars in the world and her songs are absolutely amazing. We’re so delighted.’

Fans of Taylor were ecstatic with the Glastonbury news, with many applauding the move on social media.

Solo: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are also set to perform, which will mark the former Oasis singer’s first ever solo appearance at the festival (pictured in February 2020)

It’s been a busy period for Taylor, with the chart-topper recently celebrating turning the big 3-0 with a star-studded bash at the Oscar Wilde restaurant in New York City.

While she was also honoured with the Woman of the Year prize at the 2019 Billboard Women in Music Awards.

The star dazzled in a plunging gold dress as she played the piano and sang the title track from her latest album, Lover.

Glastonbury won’t be the only UK date Taylor plays next year as she’s also set to headline BST Hyde Park in July.

Hey Paul: While Taylor will headline the Pyramid stage on Sunday, Sir Paul McCartney, 77, will occupy the lead slot on Saturday

It’s my turn: Meanwhile, Diana Ross, 75, will take to the stage on Sunday afternoon as she’s set to wow fans during the ‘Legends slot’

Cultural events around the globe have been cancelled because of the virus reached pandemic levels, amid warnings large public gathering could help the virus thrive and spread.

American R&B singer and songwriter Khalid, Korean pop group BTS, US rock band Green Day and Canadian-French singer Avril Lavigne have all cancelled dates in Asia.

British rapper Stormzy was due to play in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea in the coming weeks but has delayed the shows until later in the year.

Happy: Confirming the news about Taylor, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said: ‘I’m so pleased to announce Taylor Swift will be headlining the Sunday at Glastonbury 2020’

He told fans: ‘I was seriously looking forward to bringing the world tour to Asia and playing some epic sold out shows but due to the ongoing health and travel concerns surrounding the Coronavirus, I’m regrettably having to reschedule this leg of the Tour.’ He added: ‘I promise I’ll be back.’

Fellow BRIT Award winner Mabel is forced to cancel the Italian leg of her tour of the coronavirus-hit nation.

Meanwhile, London Marathon bosses are holding crisis talks amid growing fears that next month’s race will be cancelled because of coronavirus.

The number of UK cases of the virus has risen by 130, with a death toll of 10; experts are increasingly bracing for turmoil as the overwhelming majority of the population becomes infected and the country develops ‘herd immunity’.

Birthday girl: It’s been a busy period for Taylor, with the chart-topper recently celebrating turning the big 3-0 with a star-studded bash at the Oscar Wilde restaurant in New York City

But chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said he believed the true number of infections was likely to be 5,000-10,000 already.

He estimated that the UK was four weeks behind the trajectory of the crisis in Italy – which has brought the country to its knees.

The coronavirus has infected more than 133,000 worldwide and killed more than 4,900 globally, according to the World Health Organisation. It has also wreaked havoc on the entertainment industry in recent days.

Glastonbury Festival takes place between June 24th and June 28th 2020 in Worthy Farm, Somerset.

Everything you need to know about coronavirus

By Natalie Rahhal, Acting US Health Editor for DailyMail.com

HOW DANGEROUS IS CORONAVIRUS?

About 14 percent of people who contract the Covid-19 coronavirus are taken to hospital – with severe symptoms including breathing problems and pneumonia. About 5 per cent need intensive care.

But the majority who get the virus suffer nothing more than a cough and may never know they are infected.

So far, some 51,000 people around the world have already recovered from coronavirus – and that just includes the numbers who received a diagnosis.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE?

Officially, the death rate so far has been just over three percent. But experts believe the true mortality rate is probably between one and two percent. This is because most mild cases have not been picked up by doctors or reflected in the official numbers – so the death rate is inflated.

HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH OTHER DISEASES?

Seasonal flu kills roughly 0.1 percent of people. So Covid-19 is between 10 and 20 times more fatal.

But it is far less dangerous than SARS – the virus that ripped across China in 2003 – which killed 10 percent of patients.

BUT DOESN’T CORONAVIRUS SPREAD MORE EASILY?

Yes, but not dramatically. The best estimates suggest every person with Covid-19 passes it on to 2.6 people, on average. For flu that number is 1.5.

CAN IT BE SPREAD WITHOUT SYMPTOMS?

Initially scientists feared carriers who had no symptoms could pass it on. That is now in doubt.

What is likely, however, is those who have mild symptoms are putting it down to a cold and going about their normal lives – which puts others at risk.

HOW LONG IS IT BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR?

Again, unclear. Initially scientists said this could take up to two weeks.

But recent evidence suggests the incubation period could be as long as a month – particularly among children.

The average, however, is much shorter. A Chinese study said the average period of symptom onset was 5.4 days for adults and 6.5 for children.

WHO IS AT RISK?

The virus can affect anyone – with a study of the first 41 infected people revealing two thirds did not suffer from any pre-existing condition. But the middle-aged are most likely to get it – 78 percent of those infected in China have been aged 30 to 69.

WHAT ABOUT THE OLD?

Only 3 percent of people infected so far have been over 80 – but if they get it they are more vulnerable. Analysis of 72,000 cases in China suggests for over-80s the death rate is 15 percent. For those in their 70s the death rate is 8 percent and for those in their 60s, 4 percent.

WHO ELSE IS VULNERABLE?

Those with other conditions – such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney problems – are likely to suffer severe complications if they become infected.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?

Children seem to be low-risk. Less than 1 percent of the Chinese cases have been under the age of ten – and if children do get the virus it’s often a mild form.

They do, however, retain the virus for longer than adults.

A study last week found the virus was still present in the stools of some children for a month after they contracted it.

DOES GENDER MATTER?

Men are marginally more likely to get the virus than women. It is not clear why this is.

HOW DO DOCTORS TEST FOR COVID-19?

Anyone who has symptoms –particularly if they have travelled to an at-risk area – are told to call ahead to their health care provider, local emergency department or clinics.

This way, health care providers can be prepared, wearing masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment when they meet the possible patient and escort them to isolated areas of the facility.

They are tested using a cheek swab which is sent off for analysis at one of 12 Public Health England labs, a process that takes between 24 and 48 hours. Any positive test is double-checked at the main PHE lab in Colindale.

WHAT TREATMENT DO PATIENTS GET?

There is little doctors can do to tackle the virus, but they can treat the symptoms – such as fever and respiratory problems. Antivirals and antibiotics are also used, mainly to keep secondary problems at bay.

In the most serious cases patients are put on life-support equipment.

There are several clinical trials for potential coronavirus treatments ongoing worldwide, including one in Nebraska, where at least 13 patients are in quarantine, including two in biocontainment units.

WHAT ABOUT A VACCINE?

Even though the Wuhan virus appeared only a few weeks ago, 20 teams around the world are already manufacturing vaccines.

Chinese authorities provided the DNA code for the virus early on in the outbreak, enabling scientists to get to work straight away.

At least 30 companies and research institutions in the US are racing to make a vaccine.

Last week, one of these companies, Moderna, shipped its candidate vaccine to the US, signalling the shot was ready to begin clinical trials.

Even so, US health authorities say it will likely be upwards of a year before a vaccine is actually ready.