Jeongeup-si Cancels Cherry Blossom Festival Again This Year Due to Omicron Spread Impact

[Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil] Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Jeongeup Cherry Blossom Festival, which has been held every spring along the Jeongeupcheon area, will be canceled again this year.

According to Jeongeup City in Jeonbuk on the 2nd, the city will cancel the '2022 Jeongeup Cherry Blossom Festival,' originally scheduled for early April, for the second consecutive year to prevent local COVID-19 infections.

The city initially considered holding the event with a theme of light and music, which posed a lower risk of COVID-19, under thorough quarantine measures.

However, with the nationwide daily average of new confirmed cases reaching around 200,000 and the cancellation of many famous spring festivals across the country, the city decided to cancel the event to ensure the safety of local residents and visitors.

Despite the full cancellation of the cherry blossom festival, the opening of the stone bridge and other improvements have significantly enhanced geographic accessibility, and many visitors are expected during the full bloom period.

Accordingly, the city plans to promote refraining from visits and strengthen illegal parking enforcement along the Cheonbyeon-ro section this year as well, continuing measures against COVID-19.

A city official said, "Although it is regrettable that the cherry blossom festival, which has been loved by many every year, is canceled, the safety of citizens is the top priority. We hope the day will come when all citizens can enjoy a rich festival without worries about COVID-19 through collective efforts."

Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil gjg7070@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.