Surge in Arizona COVID-19 cases forces pause on major Tempe events amid pandemic precautions
A report on Ironman 70.3 Arizona and Festival of the Arts
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Support Local Arts in Arizona Communities
I would just ask that people continue to support art and make sure that they’re keeping that form of creative spirit alive so that we have it when we come out of this, you know, I think we’re all going to need it”
Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, will live in infamy as two important events, Ironman Arizona and the Tempe Festival of the Arts, were no longer proceeding due to surging COVID-19 cases across the state.
City officials say they began to reexamine the feasibility of hosting such large events meanwhile positive cases throughout the state hit a new high of over 4,000 this past week, surpassing peak numbers from over the summer.
“The surge was alarming enough to have everybody take pause and really evaluate what’s in the best interest of the public’s health and at the end of the day, that’s our top concern,” according to Melissa Quillard, a spokesperson for the city.
For those looking to host an event, the municipality has a dedicated task force that grants permits to organizers to go forward with their plans. With the onset of the pandemic, additional precautions were put in place by the task force to ensure any events within the city followed proper health and safety protocols in line with Gov. Doug Ducey’s order to limit public gatherings to 50 people or less without city approval.
“Each event is on a case-by-case basis and this has been the case since we reopened events back in late summer,” Ms. Quillard explained.
Added protocols include masks required at each event, social distancing, increased cleanings, and also a mitigation plan for people who do not comply. The city is hoping to bring back more events once it is safer to do so according to Ms. Quillard.
“We love having these events in the city [and] we can’t wait for them to come back next year,” she said.
Before the cancellations for these major fall events, the city had actually hosted the Ironman 70.3 Arizona, a shorter version of the full Ironman, in mid-October with those added protocols set by the task force.
Ms. Quillard said that the event went on without too much concern for public safety.
“They’re a fantastic partner and they did a really great job,” she said. “It’s just [that] the significant surge in cases is clearly alarming to everybody.”
Ms. Quillard and the organizations that were planning to host events in the coming weeks identified the surge as the major reason for canceling.
“Collectively as we observed the acceleration of COVID-19 in Arizona as well as the areas where many of our participants were traveling from, the prudent decision was to focus on hosting events further into the future,” an Ironman spokesperson stated in an email.
Local and national concern
Not only were there concerns for the large number of people set to attend, but travel risks also raised concerns as participants often travel from out of state.
Both the city and the organizers are setting their sights on the future in the hopes that the pandemic comes to an end or that cases will go down enough to allow for such outdoor gatherings to take place again.
“The cities of Tempe, Phoenix, and Scottsdale continue to work alongside our efforts to host events,” Ms. Quillard explained. “Their feedback on our event plans helps us see a path forward to hosting these events in the future.”
The Ironman Arizona marathons already have plans to return in 2021.
For the Tempe Festival of the Arts, not only were participants, or in this case, artists, forced to cancel their plans but the cancellations have had a definite impact on their livelihood.
Kate Borders, executive director for the Downtown Tempe Authority and Foundation, explained the disappointment that both organizers and artists felt.
“I think people kind of expected it because the artists at this point, and the vendors and all the participants are watching the same dashboards that we’re watching,” Ms. Borders said.
She further explained that while there is an overall sense of disappointment, all those impacted by the cancellation have been very understanding about the decision to postpone.
“We were kind of on track to do everything that we needed to do but when the cases spiked to where they were, we just didn’t feel like it was in the best interest of the community,” Ms. Borders said.
The festival was set to take place from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6 but have been forced to cancel the festival again for the second time this year.
Tempe Festival of the Arts is typically held biannually in the spring and fall but due to the sudden concern brought about by the pandemic earlier this year, it was canceled as well.
“It’s sad for the wellbeing of our cultural economy, you know, ” Ms. Borders said.
Although the “cultural economy” of the city seems to be suffering because of the festival’s cancellation, Ms. Borders said that Downtown Tempe has done its best to host some alternative events to promote arts and culture like the 6th Street Market, which is still in operation each weekend until Dec. 6.
“It is safer than you know going into a mall or something like that, because it’s an outdoor event,” she said. “But we’re still taking all the same precautions that everyone is now seeing everywhere you go.”
In accordance with city guidelines, there have been added spacing measures between each vendor, mask requirements, and cleanings following each use of all public items such as chairs and tables at the event. The market additionally has hand-sanitizing stations throughout for visitors to use.
“We are seeing numbers from an attendance perspective that are smaller than normal, but some people are still coming out,” Ms. Borders said.
Through smaller events like these, the organizers have been able to keep the cultural spirit alive with guests looking for local and handcrafted goods despite the new limitations of what can be accomplished.
“I would just ask that people continue to support art and make sure that they’re keeping that form of creative spirit alive so that we have it when we come out of this, you know, I think we’re all going to need it,” she said.
Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@newszap.com
Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
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