The 2020 Boston Marathon will be delayed from its scheduled date April 20, Patriot's Day, amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the coronavirus, The Boston Globe reports.
The Boston Athletic Association has previously said it is working closely with the various state and local officials who are overseeing the coronavirus response, and following the policies proposed by the Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
An announcement about the marathon is expected within the next couple days, after officials met at Boston City Hall on Wednesday to work out a plan for rescheduling the race, which annually draws about a million spectators and thousands of visitors, along with the 31,000 registered runners.
The Boston Marathon has only been canceled or postponed once before, when a military relay race was held in 1918 during World War I. The potential economic loss for the city is estimated at over $200 million.
The organizers hope to hold the race on a long weekend, but Labor Day coincides with moving day for many college students who live along the race route, and Columbus Day is also the date of the Chicago Marathon. Because of this, officials might create a state holiday on a to-be-determined Monday in September, which would be presented to the public by Friday morning.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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