Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena is full of cold, sleepy, but enthusiastic fans on a typical New Year’s morning.
On Saturday, January 1, 2022, the streets weren’t nearly as crowded as it was The rose parade started at 6:00 am.
« It’s pretty sparse, » said Arthur Rodriguez, who was sitting in a patio chair on Colorado Boulevard near Lake Avenue. “Not that many people.”
Why risk personal experience during a pandemic year? “My grandchildren,” said Rodriguez. « You are at home in warm beds and I’ll keep your seats here. »
Rodriguez said the 6 o’clock turnout was « a good thing » because people could spread out and socially distance themselves.
» We have front row seats, ”said Frank Valenzuela of Huntington Park on the corner of Lake and Colorado. « Maybe people are just afraid to come out. »
On Friday, the annual exercise for the most loyal fans, a few devotees still showed up to camp overnight for the best spots.
But there were still a lot of free places early on Saturday. It remained to be seen whether the streets would fill up by 8 a.m. parade time.
The number of COVID-19 cases has skyrocketed in the past few weeks, which could lead many people to watch TV from home instead of braving the streets of Pasadena.
# Roseparade veterans tell me it’s strangely quiet for 5:30 a.m. before the big event. Plenty of space for walk-in seats and a bonus: It’s not cold! ! ! pic.twitter.com/LvetGql6h6
The resurrected coronavirus outbreak resulted in officials putting safety precautions in place, vowing to monitor public health updates until the last hour.
People were urged on by officials to wear masks on the track. And grandstand drivers had to show a vaccination card or a negative test result.
Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, said she respected plans for the rose parade, which is set to continue on Saturday as planned, despite the large crowds that they gather traditionally. However, she said people at high risk of virus transmission or serious illness should avoid participating. « This could be the year some people see this on TV, » she said.
With coronavirus cases nearly doubling in just two days, Los Angeles County reported 27,091 new cases on Friday as the virus-weary region closed the beefy bowl game participants in 2021.
A week more persistent Rain also soaked pre-parade activity and reduced the crowd – including the two-day band festival with the Rose Parade marching bands and Equestfest, the showcase for equestrian groups.
As the virus news worsened this week – with new cases of more than 20,000 in Los Angeles County on Thursday – Kaiser Permanente officials announced they have 20 medical heroes on the front lines as wagon drivers and « foothills » from his m cart that will continue running without them. Other line-up changes may be possible, but as of the time this story was posted, no cancellations had been reported.
Due to COVID-related delivery issues and delivery growls, flowers, seeds, and other items needed to cover the fabulous wagons were left , a kind of cliffhanger. Parade fans shouldn’t worry, officials said. The cars are now ready and should be moving from Irwindale and Rosemead to Pasadena at 4:00 p.m. Friday, December 31st.
County and city officials urged people to mask themselves, get vaccinated, follow safety precautions, and keep people at high risk out of such large gatherings.
Councilor Tyron Hampton grabbed Put it all together: « If you’re not feeling well, watch it on TV. »
And of course, millions of people in Southern California and around the world will do just that
Rose Parade 2022: LeVar Burton was voted best Grand Marshal, according to Twitter
Rose Parade 2022: LeAnn Rime’s appearance receives mixed reactions on social media
Rose Parade 2022: Photos of the face masks that filled the crowd
Rose Parade 2022: The march starts after the pandemic year
Rose Parade 2022: Here are the jury tips for the best floats
We invite you to use our comment platform to have insightful conversations about topics in our community. While we do not pre-check comments, we reserve the right to remove any information or material that is illegal, threatening, offensive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent, or otherwise objectionable to us, and all Disclose information that is necessary to comply with any law, regulation, or governmental requirement. We can permanently block any user who abuses these terms.
If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the « Report as inappropriate » function by hovering your mouse over the right side of the post and drag the indicated arrow down. Or contact our editors by email at [email protected].
Keywords:
