WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Organizers of the New York Auto International Auto Show announced that the prestigious show will be canceled, as the resurgence of Covid cases takes a threatening shape in the country.
The show was originally scheduled to take place from August 20 to August 29 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.
The show was supposed to have a different tinge to it this year with all the futuristic electric vehicles in focus. The organizers had also announced a poster for the event that, to the irony of the event, read, 'the future is bright.' The show had been postponed last April and this is the first time the event was called off since World War 2.
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio updated the security protocols in the city with the Delta variant of Covid getting worse with every passing day. According to the new mandates, vaccination was made necessary for some indoor events taking place after August 16, with total enforcement to take place on September 13.
The president of the show, Mark Schienberg, said, 'At the onset of planning for the August Show, we were increasingly excited at the prospect of hosting the event as the number of vaccinations in New York continued to climb and mask-wearing reduced the spread in the City. All signs were positive, and the Show was coming together stronger than ever, but today is a different story.'
The show was creating a buzz after the Chicago Auto Show in July with big names like Jeep, Subaru, and Kia all ready to showcase their line-ups. Schienberg added, 'The Covid pandemic has challenged our City, the country, and the entire world, but just like the automobile industry, we know that the New York Auto Show will rebound and be bigger and better than before. We firmly believe that will be the case when the show returns to its regular spring schedule in April 2022.'
With the cancellation of this event, the fate of the events lined up for the latter half of the year, such as the Los Angeles Auto Show, is also in jeopardy.
The number of cases affected by the Delta variant is increasing rapidly in the state. According to a study by the John Hopkins University, the weekly average has jumped 81% in this week to 2418 with more than 3000 cases reported on Tuesday.
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