Björkman's Corona concern for Eurovision

Around the world, events like Eurovision have been canceled or postponed due to the progress of the Corona virus.

This week, Melodifestivalen emailed information to all participants about how they should think about the virus.

- We have gone out with information to all our staff, working press and contributors. If you know that you have visited some of the risk areas recently, you should quarantine yourself, says Anette Helenius, project manager Melodifestivalen.

Can you promise it will be a final next week?

- I can't say that. We follow the development and follow the directive of the Public Health Authority, she says.

However, there is no direct threat to the Melodifestivalen right now. However, there is great concern about how Eurovision should be. Precisely that people from several countries gather at the same place and then go back to their home countries is seen as a risk factor when it comes to dissemination.

Have you been to something similar?

- No, not in terms of illness. I know that when we went to Istanbul in 2004, the political situation was very distressing down there. There was talk that we might not go. In the end we went but we were very limited in our mobility down there with armed guards and such, says Christer Björkman.

He himself is already worried about what will be the next time when he is going to a Eurovision meeting in Rotterdam immediately after the mello finals.

- I don't know how to relate to it more than waiting and seeing. 41 countries will meet, coming from all parts of Europe. We'll see, it actually feels that way.

Is there any risk of not going?

- I will do as I am advised to do, if SVT says it is not a place to go, then we will not go. Otherwise, we go, says Christer Björkman.