The Quebec government, through Minister of Health Danielle McCann, announced Wednesday that the World Figure Skating Championships scheduled to be held in Montreal have been cancelled due to the threat of coronavirus.
The government made this decision because of various criteria affecting public health. The provenance of athletes from countries where there is local transmission of the virus weighed heavily.
Hosting the event at the Bell Center could have contributed to the geographic spread of the virus in Canada.
Skate Canada has indicated in a press release that the reasons given for the cancellation of the world championship are justified.
“Skate Canada and the International Skating Union (ISU) have been closely monitoring the position of provincial and federal authorities on the spread of the virus and fully respect the difficult decision made today. "