Americans urged to celebrate a quieter Fourth at home
ATLANTA — On the website for American Legion Post 410 in Lakehills, northwest of San Antonio, an image shows a bald eagle soaring in front of a U.S. flag. But just below the patriotic picture is the bad news that the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus has mostly grounded the tiny community’s Fourth of July celebrations.
“Due to the Governor of Texas shutting down the state again — the Parade has been canceled,” the site says. “The live band has been canceled.”
It is a familiar reality from coast to coast, as the nation staggers toward a holiday weekend burdened by a pandemic that’s only growing worse.
In the face of cases reaching disheartening new highs, and as at least 13 states set single-day reporting records this week, health officials around the country have urged Americans to scale back their holiday plans.
In Texas, the governor Thursday ordered residents in counties with more than 20 virus cases to wear masks in public, a dramatic reversal amid a surging outbreak.
State leaders in Nebraska suggested that holiday cookout hosts keep guest lists to make contact tracing easier if there is an outbreak. The Oregon Health Authority warned residents that “the safest choice this holiday is to celebrate at home.” And in Los Angeles County, Calif., where more than 12,000 new cases have been announced since last Friday, the health department ordered beaches closed and fireworks shows canceled.
Elsewhere, the pleas were similar: Skip the party. Stay home. Do not make a bad situation worse.
“We don’t want any more closures, but our numbers are going through the roof,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the public health officer in Riverside County, Calif. “Please don’t mix households, even if you think everyone is healthy, and instead celebrate the holiday with the people you live with. We started seeing more and more cases after Memorial Day, and we can’t afford another jump after the Fourth of July.”
The cancellations have lent a sullen tone to the typical listings of Independence Day events: “What Can You Do This Fourth of July in Idaho?” a headline asks on the website of a Boise TV station, before suggesting ways to socially distance while celebrating.
At the same time, the antiracism street protests that swelled across the country after George Floyd died in police custody on Memorial Day have prompted more people to question whether they should celebrate the holiday at all.
In Atlanta, Scotty Smart, 33, the founder of a nonprofit group called the Smart Foundation, said he had been asked to speak at “Forget the Fourth” events being held around town.
“When you look at the history of July 4, we weren’t necessarily free, so how can we celebrate our independence?” Smart said, speaking of his fellow African Americans.
In recent years, Smart has reserved much of his celebratory spirit for the Juneteenth holiday, which falls on June 19 and commemorates the day in 1865 that enslaved Black people in Galveston learned that they were free. This year, Smart helped organize a Juneteenth celebration in Atlanta that he said attracted thousands of people.
But this week, Smart’s July Fourth plans were in question. Last week, he came down with a fever. On Wednesday, he was awaiting the results of a coronavirus test.
“Every time there’s a large gathering, we take a risk,” he said. “We can’t sugarcoat it.”
“Please don’t mix households, even if you think everyone is healthy, and instead celebrate the holiday with the people you live with.”
Dr. Cameron Kaiser, public health officer in Riverside County, Calif.