Omicron variant of COVID-19 wreaks havoc on in-person MLK Day events in Eugene-Springfield

Jordyn Brown, Register-Guard
·1 min read

Multiple events planned to be held in-person in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day have been postponed or canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.

The Eugene-Springfield NAACP chapter and Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect both announced the change to their events at the end of the week, considering the rapid spread of omicron.

"Late Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning, our branch’s Executive Committee and staff members each met to discuss the COVID pandemic’s recent trends locally and how they might affect branch operations in the short term," the NAACP stated in a press release. "Following these meetings, our organization has decided that in the best interest of our communities’ safety, we must postpone this year’s Annual MLK March until new COVID-19 case numbers reach a place that ensures the community’s safety."

Omicron is walloping Lane County: Here's what you need to know about this COVID surge

Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect also decided to cancel the in-person portions of its 24th annual MLK March and Celebration planned for Monday.

The free event brings together community organizations to learn about MLK Jr. and see submissions of art and writing by Springfield students.

"The MLK Committee has reluctantly decided to cancel the in-person part of the MLK March and Celebration this year due to surging COVID cases. However, the online part is going strong!" the press release stated. "Event organizers received over 160 wonderful entries from Springfield students, K-12."

The submissions will all be posted on the website by 1 p.m. Monday at the original time of the event and winners will be posted by Wednesday. You can participate in the online celebration at safer1214.wixsite.com/website.

Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at jbrown@registerguard.com or 541-246-4264, and follow her on Twitter @thejordynbrown and Instagram @registerguard. Support local journalism, subscribe to The Register-Guard.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: NAACP, Springfield cancel in-person MLK Jr. Day events for Monday