VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — On Friday, officials announced that the 2021 Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show was canceled due to high community transmission of the coronavirus.
When the event was announced back in July, local military installations were in HPCON Alpha, however, the significant increase in cases indicates the Delta variant will peak the week prior to the air show.
“I know this is disappointing to everyone who looks forward to coming onto base, seeing our high-performance aircraft, and meeting the men and women of naval aviation who call Oceana home,” said Capt. Bob Holmes, Naval Air Station Oceana’s commanding officer. “But this is the right thing to do to ensure the health and safety of our force and safeguard the Navy’s mission readiness.”
The event has been held nearly every year since 1953 and normally attracts more than 250,000 spectators during the two-day show.
“With a quarter of a million spectators who love to cheer on the Navy, it wasn’t practical to let the show go on as the pandemic undergoes a resurgence,” Holmes said. “Safety must always be our top priority.”
Last year the in-person event was replaced with a live broadcast air show, however, there will not be a replacement this year.
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