Indian Wells canceled after confirmed case of coronavirus in Coachella Valley

The 2020 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, has been canceled after the Riverside County public health department declared a public health emergency in the Coachella Valley due to a confirmed case of coronavirus, it was announced Sunday.

"There is too great a risk, at this time, to the public health of the Riverside County area in holding a large gathering of this size," Dr. David Agus, a professor at the University of Southern California, said in the official release. "It is not in the public interest of fans, players, and neighboring areas for this tournament to proceed. We all have to join together to protect the community from the coronavirus outbreak."

Qualifying play was scheduled to begin Monday, with the tournament officially set to run March 9-22.

Tournament director Tommy Haas expressed disappointment over the development but added that his team is "prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options."

The BNP Paribas Open has been held annually at Indian Wells since 1987. The event had previously taken place in La Quinta and Rancho Mirage in California, as well as in Tucson, Arizona.