Jill Scott postpones four Texas tour dates after a COVID diagnosis

Jill Scott has postponed the four Texas shows that were to close the United States leg of her To Whom This May Concern Tour, after an illness her doctors initially took for a minor virus turned out to be COVID-19.

The Houston area concerts at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, originally set for August 30 and 31, move to September 11 and 12. The Dallas area dates at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, booked for September 3 and 4, move to September 14 and 15. Tickets and packages already bought remain valid for the new dates.

Scott announced it herself rather than through a promoter. "What doctors perceived to be a minor virus has turned into Covid 19," she wrote, adding that she feels alright but cannot go out without a mask, and that rescheduling was the only responsible option. "I just can't risk getting ya'll sick," she said.

The timing lands with the virus circulating more widely again. As of August 21 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that national and regional COVID-19 activity was increasing, while the overall level of acute respiratory illness sending people for medical care stayed very low. The agency uses wastewater monitoring as an early signal because it picks up community spread before people start seeking treatment.

That combination, more infection without a matching rise in serious illness, is roughly what a touring artist has to plan around. A performer working in front of thousands of people every night, with a crew travelling in close quarters, has a different risk calculation than an individual weighing whether to go to work.

The four rescheduled nights mean the US leg finishes about two weeks later than planned rather than ending early. Postponements of this kind keep turning up across R&B and soul and beyond, from Earth, Wind & Fire pushing back a San Francisco show to Alfie Templeman stepping away from dates. Updated dates are on the tour guide.