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The Cirque du Soleil has laid off 2,600 people around the world following the cancellation of all of its shows because of concerns about the COVID-19 crisis.

Late Monday afternoon, the Montreal-based circus — the world’s largest live-touring company — confirmed that more than half of its global staff is being laid off indefinitely: 1,400 staff and technicians from its touring and resident shows and 1,200 artists from its shows. The company says all of the layoffs are temporary.

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Cirque du Soleil employs 4,900 people around the world.

On the weekend, the Cirque announced that it was suspending all of its touring and resident shows. That includes its six permanent shows in Las Vegas: O at Bellagio, KÀ at MGM Grand, The Beatles Love at the Mirage, Mystère at Treasure Island, Zumanity at New York-New York and Michael Jackson One at Mandalay Bay.

The shuttered touring shows include Under the Same Sky, which was supposed to have had its world première at the Old Port in Montreal in April and then go on tour. Other touring big top shows shut down include Alegria in Austin, Chicago and Houston; Bazzar in New Orleans and Salt Lake City; Kooza in Tel Aviv; Totem in Munich; Volta in Costa Mesa and Denver; and Kurios in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.