With COVID-19 cases rising in many places across the US, a growing number of event organizers are changing plans for the sake of health and safety. The latest this week: the Toy Association canceled its upcoming Toy Fair 2022, a massive show dedicated to toys and entertainment. It was scheduled to kick off in New York on Feb. 19.
At the start of January, as health officials worked through a backlog from over the holidays, the US reported more than a million new COVID cases in a single day, spurred by the omicron variant of COVID-19. Some available research suggests omicron may lead to less severe illness, though officials say it still could make a large number of people sick at once, which would overwhelm health care systems.
Earlier in January, several large tech companies, including T-Mobile and Meta, scaled back their plans for CES 2022. Last week, the Sundance Film Festival said it’ll change its event from in-person to virtual because of the increase in health risks.
Here are some of the latest postponements and cancellations:
