The COVID-19 surge has forced the cancellation of the Nelson Road Kings car show in September.
Nelson Road Kings was set to be held Sept. 10 and 11, making it the first major event held in the city since the pandemic began.
But Road Kings president Marcello Piro said a steep rise in cases has forced the event to be scrapped for the second straight year.
“People need to re-evaluate their reasoning behind not being vaccinated, because it’s definitely having repercussions for the rest of us …,” said Piro. “It’s Groundhog Day again. We’re starting back to where we were back in March of 2020.”
The Nelson local health area, which includes Salmo and parts of the Slocan Valley, had 117 new cases of COVID-19 between Aug. 8 and 14, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Piro said that makes a popular outdoor event too risky to be held. Most of the attendees, he added, are of an older demographic.
“It’s just the age group, right? They are retired people who want to enjoy life but at the same time they don’t want to be dealing with some other health issue that’s life threatening.”
Piro said he was also disappointed for the downtown business community and local hotels, who will now lose out on a rare opportunity to capitalize on a tourism event.
“The businesses in downtown Nelson were amazing,” he said. “Everyone we approached [said] we support you, what can we do to help you? The sponsorship was unbelievable.
“It’s disappointing for them, because, again, they know they have bigger restrictions that they have to operate under for however many weeks ahead.”
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@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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