Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced Thursday that the city will cancel “all large-scale events through April 2020.”
“Today Long Beach Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, signed a declaration that prohibits all large-scale events in the city,” Garcia tweeted. “This declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect through April 30, 2020, unless further action is taken by the Health Officer to lessen or expand the order.”
The city-wide cancelations include the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach which was scheduled to take place April 17 through 19 in Downtown Long Beach.
According to Garcia, the Grand Prix is the city’s most popular event, which is attended by around 180,000 people every year.
“We recognize that this decision affects tens of thousands of residents and visitors, and for some will create immense financial hardship,” Garcia said in a statement. “But our top priority must be the health & well-being of our community and this is absolutely the right thing to do.”
“The City looks forward to working with Grand Prix Association of Long Beach as well as other promoters to find solutions for holding their events at a later date as the situation warrants,” he added.
Aligning with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recommendations, all Long Beach events with more than 250 attendees or where attendees cannot maintain a six-foot distance from each other have been canceled.
Garcia added that events with individuals at a “high risk of serious illness” will also be canceled regardless of the 250-person maximum or six-foot distance rule.
“This includes gatherings at retirement facilities, assisted living facilities, developmental homes and support groups for people with health conditions,” he tweeted.
The cancelations and guidelines will not apply to schools, dormitories, public transportation, work-places, movie theaters, malls, casinos, senior centers and daycares, he said.
The city has compiled a list of canceled or postponed events which can be viewed here.
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