The coronavirus is killing comedy in Lisbon

Well, I have learned of a lot of people canceling upcoming standup comedy shows in Lisbon because of the Coronavirus. I’m canceling my shows, people who have been working on solo performances for a while, are canceling theirs. Cancels are happening all over the place.

And it’s really for the best. Like, think about it. You’re doing English comedy shows in Europe. Most of the people in the crowd are travelers or probably people who come in contact with travelers. It’s a pretty straightforward setup to get infected by the Coronavirus in Europe. There’s also a responsibility as a promoter to make that call to cancel shows.

I just had to tell someone I won’t perform tonight, and I feel terrible doing that. But it just feels like the best way to handle all this right now. It’s one of those things that can pass by relatively quickly if people just make the hard decisions together, and follow the suggested practices. Avoiding large events/gatherings is one of the best ways to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus in Europe.

And here’s the thing. I don’t make my living from comedy. I can still comfortably earn a living and put shows on hold. But imagine people who make their life around these events? Coronavirus has arrived at the worst fucking time ever. And tourist season in Europe is right around the corner. And that’s what a lot of businesses survive on through the colder months. I know a bunch of people here that own businesses that are more worried about coming home with a check than getting sick. The scope of this Coronavirus incident could impact people for the rest of the year, or longer.

This Coronavirus has killed standup comedy and many other events in Lisbon, and this is only the start. We’re well aware of what is happening with the total shutdown of Italy. Places like South Korea are showing that if you communicate and organize well, you can combat the spread of Coronavirus. Seeing how this has affected other countries and the various responses to it makes me think it’s a good idea if we all get ahead of the warnings.

I hope we can play it smart here, and things don’t get so bad. But it looks like live standup comedy in Lisbon may all be on-hold soon. And hopefully, people treat this as seriously as they should. So that impact doesn’t linger longer into summer that it would if we had taken precautions.

Time to hunker down and go make more stupid shit to post on Instagram