Fireworks cancelled over Covid concerns
POPULAR New Year’s Eve fireworks which attract a large gathering have been cancelled in a Cornish town in a bid to reduce the area’s Covid rate.
Looe’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display organisers Shockwave Pyrotechnics announced on social media: “It is with a sad heart, we have to inform you all that the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display for 2021 has been cancelled. The general feeling across the town with harbour, council, pubs etc is that we need to try and keep the town as empty as possible over winter and try to get our rate back down.”
Looe and Polperro had 16 new cases of Covid confirmed last week with a case rate of 326.2 per 100,000 people.
Looe Town Council verified that the fireworks, which bring hundreds into the harbour town, will not be going ahead again this year.
The council said: “It is with a great deal of sadness that we have had to cancel some of these events again this year but we are wanting to keep all of our residents safe and well this winter. Thanks to technology and a host of wonderful volunteers, we are still able to bring you live streaming and visits from Santa from the comfort of your own home and keep everyone as safe as possible.”
The town clerk said that Looe’s pubs won’t be closing on New Year’s Eve, but are unlikely to be open beyond midnight.
Clerk Mel Colton-Dyer told WMN sister website CornwallLive: “The fireworks have indeed been cancelled by the organisation that runs them and pubs are still open. However, as far as I am aware, there are no plans for any extended opening hours, but they are open for bookings for the evening.”
The decision to cancel the fireworks has had a mixed reaction. Among the comments in favour was one saying “So sorry to hear this, your displays are amazing and we love watching this every year, but fully understand.”
However, one resident said: “Absolutely pathetic decision, we cannot continue like this, we need to be able to make our own choices in life, not be dictated to.”
Another wrote: “I cannot understand this, we have had 4-5 thousand people a day in the town during the month of August. July was the same. The beach was packed for days on end, you could hardly move in the streets for people in your way, but some are scared about a firework display.
“The town could suffer financially because of this decision.
“When are we going to treat people with respect and let them be responsible for themselves? Are we going to close down every winter and live in fear?”
Another replied: “The locals need something to look forward to after having the town rammed all year. The winter is boring enough without taking away the fireworks again. There won’t be Christmas events next.”
A pub landlady in the town said she had every intention of opening on New Year’s Eve and was even prepared to light her own fireworks. Trina ‘The Duchess’ Crawford told CornwallLive: “I’m sure people will still go out in fancy dress and we might give all our customers sparklers. I may even light a rocket outside the pub.
“We’ll definitely be open – we haven’t shut the pub once. All our staff test every day. We’ve got to carry on living.”