California vaccination site closing temporarily for ‘anime’ event
Officials at a vaccination site near Sacramento, California, say they’ll be shutting down the site temporarily this week so they can host a pre-planned event.
Operators of "The Grounds" in Roseville (formerly the Placer County Fairgrounds) said the space had been previously booked for the Spring 2021 Swap Meet of a group called SacAnime, an organization of Japanese animation enthusiasts, according to reports.
The newspaper noted that the anime event will be the type of multi-day, in-person event that many health officials have been advising against as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
But at least one physician defended the plan for the anime event.
"We're in this phrase now where we don't want to take absolutely every bit of joy in life away from our community," Dr. Vanessa Walker, a pulmonary and critical care physician, told KCRA-TV of Sacramento. "WE have to have some semblance of trying to do normal things, but I think we can do normal things in a safe way."
The news attracted some snarky comments from social media users.
"I’m so glad an anime convention is being held in the same area they’re administering vaccines," one user wrote, according to the Bee. "Bonus points for delaying my 2nd dose past the recommended 28 days."
01 Apr 2021, 7:54 am
