Duncan Laurence tested positive on COVID19

Duncan Laurence has tested positive on COVID19. That has been announced today by EBU. Yesterday, Laurence had mild symptoms. Therefore, he was tested. The EBU stated the following on this:

“Duncan Laurence, winner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest for the Netherlands and was scheduled to perform live during Saturday’s Grand Final, has tested positive for COVID-19, his management and the Host Broadcaster have confirmed. Duncan has mild symptoms. Because of the 7 day minimum isolation period, Duncan will not be able to perform live in the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam, but will still feature in the show in a different form.

Last Monday, Duncan tested negative in the Eurovision Test Pavilion, which granted him access to the venue for his performance in the first Semi-Final. On Wednesday, he showed mild symptoms and then unfortunately delivered a positive result in a rapid antigen test.

“We are of course disappointed, first of all for Duncan, who deserves a live performance on our very own Eurovision stage after his 2019 victory and the worldwide success of Arcade,” Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer, said. “We couldn’t be more proud of his opening act for the first Semi-Final. Of course we wish Duncan a speedy recovery!”

“Duncan is very disappointed, he has been looking forward to this for two years. We are very happy that he will still be seen in the final on Saturday, May 22,” his management said.

A strict COVID-19 health and safety protocol is being applied at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. All those working within the perimeter of the venue must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 test, not older than 48 hours.

Since 6 April, when the load-in started in Ahoy, over 24,400 tests have been conducted amongst crew, volunteers, artists, delegation members and press. Only 16 of those (0.06%) have returned positive results. In most cases, they were from people who hadn’t previously been to the venue, or who hadn’t been there recently. To date, no infections have been conclusively traced back to the venue.”

in cooperation with Eurovision Artists

Martijn

See all contributions

Related news

Eurovision 2026

🇨🇿 Artists: Daniel Zizka represents Czechia

📷 EBU Daniel Zizka will represent Czechia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This gives the country a young artist with a calm stage presence and a clear artistic identity. Czech broadcaster ČT unveiled the 23-year-old singer on 8 March, confirming that he will perform CROSSROADS in Vienna. He will carry the Czech flag at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The song itself will be released on 11 March. That day, the official music video premieres on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel. For Czechia, Daniel Zizka arrives as one of the more intriguing names of the 2026 season. Eurovision’s official announcement describes him as one of the most compelling voices of a new generation in Czech music. That reputation has also been strengthened by Headliner magazine, which included him in its list of future talents on the Czech music scene. What stands out most about Daniel Zizka is the contrast in his artistry. According to the Czech delegation, he combines technical control with calmness, precision and emotion. Kryštof Šámal, Head of Delegation for Czechia, said the room fell silent when Zizka first performed the song in the studio, calling the performance focused, confident and emotionally strong. Daniel Zizka himself appears determined to keep the focus on authenticity rather than spectacle. In the official reveal, he said he wants to bring music and emotion to Eurovision and stand firmly behind who he is as an artist. That suggests CROSSROADS may lean on atmosphere and vocal delivery as much as staging. With Vienna 2026 approaching, Czechia has now placed its hopes in Daniel Zizka and CROSSROADS. The artist reveal has answered one major question, while the song release will provide the next important moment for fans following Czechia’s Eurovision journey. Note that “Talk” is not the Eurovision song.

March 8, 2026 No Comments

Eurovision 2026

🇨🇿 Artists: Daniel Zizka represents Czechia

📷 EBU Daniel Zizka will represent Czechia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This gives the country a young artist with a calm stage presence and a clear artistic identity. Czech broadcaster ČT unveiled the 23-year-old singer on 8 March, confirming that he will perform CROSSROADS in Vienna. He will carry the Czech flag at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The song itself will be released on 11 March. That day, the official music video premieres on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel. For Czechia, Daniel Zizka arrives as one of the more intriguing names of the 2026 season. Eurovision’s official announcement describes him as one of the most compelling voices of a new generation in Czech music. That reputation has also been strengthened by Headliner magazine, which included him in its list of future talents on the Czech music scene. What stands out most about Daniel Zizka is the contrast in his artistry. According to the Czech delegation, he combines technical control with calmness, precision and emotion. Kryštof Šámal, Head of Delegation for Czechia, said the room fell silent when Zizka first performed the song in the studio, calling the performance focused, confident and emotionally strong. Daniel Zizka himself appears determined to keep the focus on authenticity rather than spectacle. In the official reveal, he said he wants to bring music and emotion to Eurovision and stand firmly behind who he is as an artist. That suggests CROSSROADS may lean on atmosphere and vocal delivery as much as staging. With Vienna 2026 approaching, Czechia has now placed its hopes in Daniel Zizka and CROSSROADS. The artist reveal has answered one major question, while the song release will provide the next important moment for fans following Czechia’s Eurovision journey. Note that “Talk” is not the Eurovision song.

March 8, 2026 No Comments