Cirque du Soleil lays off most of its workforce over pandemic

Cirque du Soleil announced Thursday it was temporarily laying off 4,679 employees -- 95 percent of its workforce -- as the coronavirus pandemic forced the circus to close all 44 of its shows worldwide.

The layoffs were effective immediately, the Montreal-based company said in a statement.

"As a result of the health crisis, cities and countries where the group performs have unanimously legislated the closure of public gatherings of more than 250 people," it said.