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.
