Thrive’s decision to cancel annual event the right call

A popular meme reads “A Zoom Thanksgiving is better than an ICU Christmas.”

The reference is to the COVID-19 pandemic  that continues to hold much of the world in its grip and how it’s critical we postpone immediate pleasures to guard further spread.

Thrive Allen County took the lead Tuesday when it canceled its already scaled-back annual awards ceremony scheduled for tonight.

Thrive organizers had limited the event to 100, about one-third the usual attendance. The venue, the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, easily accommodates 500.

But even with social distancing and face masks enforced, Thrive leadership recognized the potential for risk, and made the responsible decision to call it off.

Yes, hundreds of hours in preparation for the affair were tossed out the window. And yes, people were likely excited to have something to celebrate. But both pale in comparison to the risk of spreading the virus.

For Lisse Regehr, CEO of Thrive, the decision to cancel the event came down to remembering Thrive’s mission. 

“We’re a health and wellness organization, and we need to act like it. It’s our job to protect the community as best we can,” she said.

On Tuesday, County Commissioner Bruce Symes urged people to stay the course.

“It’s time to double up our vigilance,” he said.

This is not the time to grow our circles of contacts.

With more than 11 million cases in the United States and a quarter of a million deaths, health experts say every American now knows someone who has contracted COVID-19.

You’d have to live in a hole not to.

Allen County has so far recorded 283 cases, more than double the number just two weeks prior.  There are now 90 active cases in the county.

For locals, an added danger is that if they are in need of advanced care — COVID-related or not — their chances are severely limited for getting admitted to a metropolitan hospital due to the virus.

WE ALL have a role to play in curbing the spread of the virus.