The Crossroads Street Fair is taking a hiatus until the first week of April 2021.

The Manteca Chamber of Commerce decided Tuesday to abandon efforts to stage the street fair Aug. 6-7 after it had been postponed from April 4-5 due to stay at home orders that were in place. The decision was made due to the likelihood a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases was going to lead to the postponement of any decision to allow large public gatherings for a number of weeks if not longer.

Chamber Executive Director Joanne Beattie noted most vendors have said they will simply rollover the fees they have paid to participate in the 2021 edition of the street fair.

The chamber is planning smaller events in the coming months that will work within the framework of social distancing. Included is a drive-thru barbecue dinner later this month.

The chamber decision and the surge in hospitalization now cues up the feasibility of other major events for the balance of the year including the Sunrise Kiwanis Pumpkin Fair the first weekend in October, the Ripon Chamber of Commerce Main Street Day event in mid-October, as well as the Manteca Chamber of Commerce Christmas in the Park and the annual Christmas Parade.

The Dell’Osso Family Farms Pumpkin Maze in Lathrop that runs throughout October in Lathrop and attracts more than 100,000 people is also in question. Susan Dell’Osso has indicated a decision regarding the Pumpkin Maze being staged this year will be made at the start of August,

The Great Valley Bookfest organizers have already opted to skip the 2000 event. The next bookfest is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2021 at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley.

Other events such as the San Joaquin Valley Brewfest staged at Orchard Valley in late September to benefit Give Every Child a Chance and a slew of smaller endeavors are in jeopardy of being sidetracked by the pandemic.

The biggest challenges in terms of whether they will be allowed to be staged are street festivals.

The decision to backtrack on some re-openings such as bars plus other retractions Gov. Newsom has indicated he will announce today effectively pushes back the return of large community events.

The biggest challenge for events such as the Pumpkin Fair staged on downtown streets might be the fact that it is impossible to limit access.

Health and public officials have alluded to one of the biggest issues with events that attract large numbers of people could be the ability to cap access and enforce social distancing.

Fencing off the downtown area with tightly controlled access points to meet COVID-19 standards is virtually impossible.

If such rules are indeed a condition of staging such an event it would make private property that is fenced — or can be fenced — the only workable solution. That could be a major issue on short notice. And even if the location were secured essential insurance coverage to protect the property owner could be dicey to obtain in terms of potential COVID-19 liability.

Hospitalizations up by

a third in five days in

San Joaquin County

There were 133 COVID-19 patients in various San Joaquin County hospitals as of 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.

That is up a third from Friday when 101 people were hospitalized.

There have been no additional deaths since Thursday. The 52 deaths to date from COVID-19 represents a 1.3 percent fatality rate, down from 1.7 percent on Friday.

As of Tuesday there are 2,047 out of 760,000 county residents that have COVID-19. There have been 1,809 recoveries to date. Of the 1,809 people who have recovered, 1,412 of them required hospitalization at one point.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email deyatt@mantecabulletin.com