The coronavirus outbreak causes yet another event cancellation.

Germany’s once-a-decade Oberammergau Passion Play has been postponed to 2022.

The decision to delay the performances was made by the municipality of Oberammergau and the directing team of the Passion Play in order to protect the health of participants and spectators.

“The health department has conducted a risk assessment,” said a statement from the Administrative District Office of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

“According to this, it is not possible to carry out the Passion Play into the autumn. It can be assumed that the restrictions on public life can be reduced again if the exponential increase in infected persons can be interrupted. However, we will still have a high risk of recurrent infections over a long period of time. At this stage, it can be clearly predicted that an event on the scale of the Passion Play is not feasible. The risk is too high that new chains of infection will develop. From a preventive health point of view, the event should, therefore, be prohibited.”

The Passion Play dates back to 1633 and is particularly poignant in these trying times.

It began when the people of Oberammergau vowed to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every 10 years if no one died of the plague anymore.

After performing the Passion Play, the death rate dropped and villagers believed that they had been spared. The play has been performed every 10 years since over the course of five months during every year ending in zero.

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