COVINGTON, Ky. — The city of Covington announced Friday it would join Bellevue and Newport in canceling its participation in the annual Riverfest fireworks this year.
The city cited health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the cancelation.
“This is about protecting the health and safety of our residents,” said Bruce Applegate, Covington assistant city manager, in a press release. “Two things are absolutely clear: Health officials are strongly counseling against any large gatherings of people, and the number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky and across the nation have been increasing dramatically.”
Covington's decision was contained in an executive order signed Friday afternoon by Covington mayor Joe Meyer. According to a press release from the city, Meyer polled the city's Board of Commissioners earlier in the week and the consensus of the group was to cancel participation.
The city also stated it will neither issue licenses or permits in support of Riverfest, nor direct any public resources to fund it this year, as part of the executive order.
