Coronavirus impacting Central Coast events
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) With a declared local emergency in Monterey County for the novel Coronavirus on Friday, some events along the Central Coast are getting called off.
But even with that declaration, dozens of people in downtown Salinas came out to enjoy the start of their weekend.
"I don't feel super concerned. I feel like that the flu is more of a concern," said Kim Fischer, a Salinas resident.
"No, it hasn't stopped us from like going places and like going to like eat and stuff," said Teagan, a fifth grade student in Monterey County.
Unlike Washington state reporting small crowds in some of their cities, restaurants and breweries here were packed with customers and plenty of parents and kids still out to enjoy the weekly First Fridays Art Walk in Salinas.
201 Main - a popular nightclub in Salinas - is still having their parties Friday night. The manager says they have told employees to follow your typical hygiene routines like washing your hands.
"I think the reason people are scared about the Coronavirus is because there's no vaccine," said Fischer.
However, concern over the rapidly spreading virus is postponing several Central Coast events including the Sea Otter Classic and a community summit on Saturday at Gonzales High School.
The city manager says it is out of an abundance of caution.
"Maybe some folks are saying we're being very overly cautious, but that's kind of where we land at being overly cautious at this point," said Rene Mendez, the Gonzales city manager.
There are no active cases of the virus in Monterey County or Gonzales right now. The city says they are at a lower risk compared to tourist hotspots like Monterey or Carmel.
Other community events like the California International Airshow in Salinas and the Good Old Days Celebration in Pacific Grove are still scheduled to go as planned, taking a wait-and-see approach for now.
With Coronavirus topping news headlines every day, some people say that is part of the problem.
"I think people just get scared because of the media and just the unknown," said Fischer.
"It's scary because the news makes it seem like a big deal and they make it seem like oh you're going to die if you don't do this or if you don't put on hand sanitizer," said Teagan.
Health officials say it is a big deal and are cautioning residents to stay vigilant. The community summit in Gonzales will be postponed until further notice.
