Austin Pride Parade Canceled As COVID-19 Cases Surge

Austin TX

11 August, 2021

3:44 PM

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AUSTIN, TX — Officials with the Austin Pride Parade will postpone this year's event as coronavirus cases, specifically delta variant cases, surge in the metro area. The event, which was slated to kickoff Saturday, will be postponed for an indeterminate time as COVID-19 cases rise again, officials announced Wednesday in a Facebook post. The celebration featured a parade an in-person events at several locations across downtown Austin. " The choice was made for us, and for the safety of our city and community, to put a pause on in-person gatherings. We were more excited than you know to celebrate with you all," officials said. "The reality of being in the thick of this pandemic again is truly heartbreaking. However, we remain resolved to create new opportunities and avenues to celebrate our pride!" Dear friends, it is with an unimaginably heavy heart that we have to announce our Parade and street party, scheduled for this Saturday, are postponed for an indeterminate time. [Read Full Statement: https://t.co/tLKe6UzR03 ] pic.twitter.com/R7V96G7EOc— Austin Pride (@AustinPride) August 11, 2021 Over the next few days, organizers said it will be reaching out to all sponsors, partners, and participants to create a new path forward. The contagious delta variant has contributed to a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Travis County and the entire state, local health authorities report. On Tuesday, the County's Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said there were only 2 ICU beds available for Region O, which covers 11 counties, including Travis and Williamson, and serves more than 2.3 million people. MORE ON THAT STORY: Only 2 Available ICU Beds Left In Austin Metro: APH Of the people in area hospitals, more than 80 percent are unvaccinated and an additional 3.7 percent are partially vaccinated, Walkes said. Last week, Austin-Travis County moved to Stage 5 of its COVID-19 risk-based guidance as cases continue to surge in the area. In this stage, high-risk vaccinated people as well as for partially vaccinated and unvaccinated people are asked to avoid private indoor gatherings altogether with or without masks. Austin Pride officials said the community is too important to allow the event to happen in-person, but says the only way to get out of this is together. "Please, #getvaccinated, #maskup, #socialdistance until we get this in check again. The virus may have won another battle, but it will not win this war. Please stay tuned, and keep checking in as details for new plans arise," the social media post said. RELATED COVERAGE:UT Austin Will Require Negative COVID-19 Tests For Campus Move-In Tyler, The Creator Will Replace DaBaby As ACL Fest Headliner Austin ISD Will Require Face Masks For 2021-22 School Year