ST. CHARLES, Mo. – One of the performers in the St. Charles Christmas Traditions says the popular holiday event featuring about 96 characters and crew should have been shut down because of the spike in COVID-19 cases.
The 7-day rolling average of coronavirus cases in St. Charles County has a positivity rating of 26.26 percent. An acceptable level is around 5 percent.
The performer, who asked not to be named, said in an email that the event puts the workers and the public at risk.
According to an email put out by the city tourism department, which is sponsoring the event, 19 workers have tested positive or come into contact with individuals with the virus. Six others have dropped out over health concerns.
But Dan Krankeola, the head of the tourism department, said it’s safe to go forward with the event. He said they’ve implemented a lot of safeguards including requiring workers and characters to wear a mask and stay behind a barrier to create distance between them and the public.
St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer also said he’s on board with having the events, saying you can’t shut down life.
