In The Know

No plans to cancel White House Correspondents’ Association dinner amid coronavirus

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Major events and large gatherings are getting postponed and canceled left and right due to coronavirus fears, but this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is still a go — for now.

Long considered Washington’s most high-profile social event of the year, the annual dinner — with “Saturday Night Live’s” Kenan Thompson serving as host and Netflix star Hasan Minhaj headlining — is scheduled to be held on April 25.

President Trump has bucked tradition and has yet to attend the dinner as commander in chief, but thousands of journalists, lawmakers, VIPs and other guests typically pack the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel for the black-tie gala, which raises money for journalism scholarships.

Jonathan Karl, ABC News’s chief White House correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, tells ITK there haven’t been any talks of nixing this year’s event.

“No discussion of that now,” Karl said Thursday, when asked about any effect the coronavirus outbreaks around the world could have on the dinner.

According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 95,000 reported cases of the coronavirus globally, with nearly 3,300 deaths.

Several organizers have adjusted plans over travel concerns and fears of the potentially deadly illness spreading at large events.

Some screenings and panels at next week’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, were canceled due to the coronavirus, and Ozzy Osbourne pulled the plug on a planned appearance. Last week, K-Pop group BTS and the band Green Day announced they were scrapping several concert tour stops in Asia. And the U.S. release of the latest James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” was moved from next month to November.

Tags Donald Trump Nerd Prom WHCA White House Correspondents' Association White House Correspondents' Association dinner

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