The organisers of Expo 2020 Dubai said they are committed to hosting the event which was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus, but are ready for all possible scenarios amid a new global wave of the pandemic, Reuters reports.

“We are committed to hosting Expo in October 2021. We are following all the guidelines, all the international guidelines on how to deal with Covid-19 [and] social distancing,” the event’s Chief Development and Delivery Officer Ahmed al-Khatib told reporters.

He said the organisers were ready for all scenarios and expected the doors to open on Oct 1. The event will run up to Mar 31, 2022.

Part of the exhibition site will be open to the public from next week until April to drum up local interest for the event which has been nearly a decade in the making.