(TAN): The Covid-19 pandemic has led the Gold Coast authorities to call off its New Year’s Eve fireworks. The city’s mayor Tom Tate said he cannot guarantee tourists and locals would stay socially distanced, reported ABC news.
“I looked at every way, health-wise, to make it safe and no matter which way we went, 90,000 people, you just can’t control,” Tate was quoted as saying by the media.
Cavill Avenue, in the centre of Surfers Paradise, along with several kilometres of Gold Coast beaches near Broadbeach are traditionally packed with enthusiasts to welcome in the new year. “With an abundance of caution, the main New Year’s Eve fireworks will be cancelled,” the mayor said.
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The City of Gold Coast will redirect the money to next June’s SeaFire event, according to media reports. The mayor said, “There will be a time to celebrate, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, and we will be sure to put on a fireworks display which will also bring visitors from far and wide.”
However thousands of revellers are still expected to celebrate in the tourist heart, with Queensland about to remove its border checkpoints allowing unfettered travel with New South Wales and Victoria after months of interstate and Federal Government criticism of the state’s Covid-19 health strategy. But the mayor said he did not want to encourage crowds with an official event.
