Janelle Irwin Taylor
The city of St. Petersburg is canceling its annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration due to concerns over the latest surge in new COVID-19 cases.
“In an effort to take preventative measures against COVID-19 by avoiding large gatherings, this year’s July 4th fireworks display has been cancelled. We appreciate your patience as we prioritize the public health, safety and well-being of our city’s residents and visitors,” the city tweeted Wednesday.
Local officials in some areas, including in the Tampa Bay area, are reevaluating policies to protect residents and visitors from the novel coronavirus. After extensive regulatory rollbacks beginning in early May and loosened further earlier this month, the state has been seeing growing cases.
As of Wednesday, state health officials reported 2,684 cases including 55 non-residents diagnosed in the area.
Tuesday’s 172 new cases set a record in the county and continue an upward trend in new cases, an uptick that largely coincides statewide reopening efforts including at the local level.
Community spread in the city is further evidenced in the demographics trending downward in age. The 25-34 demographic is by far the largest group affected by the virus with 548 cases. The next highest is the 35-44 group with 362 cases, a younger pool of virus victims than had been reported in the early days of the virus when tests were given predominately based on age and the severity of symptoms.
Now, anyone in Pinellas County can receive a test regardless of age, symptoms or potential contact with a known case. The change in testing and the resulting trends suggest many asymptomatic young people contracted the virus early on, but weren’t detected due to a lack of testing.
However, further evidencing community spread, several downtown bars and restaurants have temporarily shut down due to employees testing positive for the virus. Those include Parks & Rec, Noble Crust, Trophy Fish, The Galley, the Pelican Pub, The Landing and Detroit Liquor.
The city of Tampa also canceled its Boom By the Bay celebration, which would have been only its second year.
