North Wilkesboro issued the following announcement on September 17.
[NORTH WILKESBORO, NC, September 17, 2021] – Due to persistently high numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Wilkes County, the Town of North Wilkesboro is canceling the remaining ‘Concerts on the Deck’ for 2021.
“Public safety is the town’s number one priority,” said Mayor Robert Johnson. “It’s why we work so hard to maintain professional and effective police and fire departments. And it’s why we can’t in good conscience continue on with these events that pose such great risk.”
According to the State of North Carolina’s COVID dashboard, there have been 9,604 reported cases and 153 reported deaths in Wilkes County since the beginning of the pandemic. Eight hundred and four cases have been reported in the last two weeks alone. The most recently reported percentage of positive cases in the county was 13.1%.
The canceled concerts -scheduled for September 25 and October 16- were the last in a series of six performances held monthly since last May.
This is the second significant cancellation announced in the last few days. Earlier this week, the Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club announced the cancellation of their annual Apple Festival in downtown North Wilkesboro.
North Wilkesboro Police Chief Rob Thornburg agreed with the Ruritan’s decision. “An event with folks shoulder-to-shoulder and no way to screen for vaccination or negative test results is a dangerous brew,” he said. “And it’s the same thing with our concerts. Plus, each event must be staffed with NWPD and other town employees, and putting them at risk of exposure could jeopardize the town’s ability to provide essential services.”
The Town encourages all parties organizing events over the next few months to consider the risk to attendees and the community at-large before they proceed.
Original source can be found here.
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