Estimates were that 11 million visitors from outside the country were expected to attend the event, which lasts about six months and is described as a wonderful example of culture, business and technology, as it includes pavilions from 192 countries and also witnesses concerts and other events.
The statement and the two sources stated that Dubai is expected to announce later on Monday that the event will be postponed to next year after a meeting between officials from the UAE and foreign countries scheduled to participate in it.
The statement and the two sources also mentioned that the participants were the ones who requested the delay, and attributed this to the need to focus on the outbreak of the Corona virus.
An Expo spokesman declined to comment.
One of the sources said that the official postponement will be confirmed during a later meeting between the member states of the International Bureau of Exhibitions, which oversees the event.
The Expo is the last major event to be officially held this year. A decision was issued last week to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a year, the first such delay in the recent history of these 124-year-old games.
The epidemic is seriously affecting the global economy, affecting more than half a million people worldwide, forcing countries to close their borders and stopping some industries.
Dubai spent billions of dollars on infrastructure to prepare for the Expo, and local and other executives said the event would be a major driver of economic growth.
