The awarding body for World Expos has proposed to postpone Expo 2020 Dubai for a year because of the new coronavirus, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) said on Tuesday.
The event will still be called Expo 2020 Dubai.
Member states will vote by the end of May on the proposal to move the event to Oct. 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.
The proposal requires a two-thirds approval, but given the disruption caused by the virus worldwide, it appears likely to easily pass. The bureau's executive committee voted unanimously to back the proposal.
“I am confident when the time is right, Expo 2020 Dubai will constitute the best platform to build, with renewed optimism and hope, a better and brighter future for all,” bureau secretary-general Dimitri S. Kerkentzes said in a statement.
Expo is a business and cultural event held every five years in cities around the world chosen by Paris-based BIE.
The United Arab Emirates proposed delaying Expo 2020 Dubai by a year because of coronavirus on March 30, after participating countries asked for a delay as they concentrated on fighting the global pandemic.
It had been due to run from Oct. 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021. The Expo following Dubai is due in Osaka, Japan, in 2025.
