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CDC urges cancellation of large events as U.S. states move to close bars, restaurants

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Sunday urged large events with 50 people or more be canceled or postponed for eight weeks in order to prevent more coronavirus infections, as officials in U.S. and Europe took dramatic steps to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.

Javier E. David and Anjalee Khemlani for Yahoo Finance:

As new cases and fatalities mounted in Europe, New York and California — which have the two largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the United States — introduced sweeping efforts to combat the disease’s spread. The Empire State plans to shutter all schools and urged bars, restaurants and gyms to close voluntarily for at least two weeks, while the Golden State mandated [closures].

Cities and states around the U.S. have moved to contain social spreading of the disease by urging companies to let employees work from home, and have instructed citizens to stay indoors.

The strategy of “social distancing” has had a chilling impact on public life, leading to empty streets, canceled worship services and sporting events on hiatus indefinitely.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s move to make WWDC 2020 online-only is a prime example of the sorts of physical events that need to be canceled.

The CDC’s guidance regarding the cancelation or postponement of large events, verbatim:

Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.

Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing. When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses. This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus. This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.

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