Sunday, April 5, 2020

Art walk canceled for April, pending for May

The rapid outbreak of the coronavirus has put a chill on art and events around Jacksonville. While the arts are proving to be essential to maintaining our mental and emotional health, in-person displays and exhibitions will simply have to wait.

For now, April's Art Walk is the only one that has been canceled and May is still scheduled as planned.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that May's show will go on - and even if it does proceed, attending might not be particularly wise.

While the governor's stay at home order only covers thirty days, it leaves huge exemptions for public gatherings - even ones that local governments have tried to curtail. This is likely to make them relatively ineffective at stopping the spread of covid-19, and that just means the time to stay at home will have to be extended.

Even if the order is lifted, we're likely to still be experiencing a peak in new diagnoses, hospitalizations, and deaths. So if the event goes through, it will just end up being another vector for infection.

The most optimistic estimates right now are pointing to a peak in late June or early July. It's probably just not going to be a good idea to gather together for any reason until then, so take advantage and enjoy some of the resources that are available online!