Corona (Not The Beer) and Car Shows
Over the last few weeks we have been asked the same question so many time - "Will there be a car show season at all in 2020?" Let's break it all down with the most educated answers we can give you based on what we know.
1. Count April and May Out. Governor Murphy has extended his executive orders of social distancing, closures, and ban on all gatherings through May 20th. At that time, or a bit sooner, he will make a decision on the next steps.
2. Don't Expect Any Restrictions To Be Lifted UNTIL The Numbers Start Going Down. As of the writing of this article, the numbers of infected are still going up. The peak is expected to be within the next week or so, around April 20th. These are only assumptions based on the current information, things can change, especially if we don't follow the social distancing guidelines. If these guidelines are relaxed too soon, the numbers of infected will most likely start going up again.
2. Re-Opening the State (and Country) will be a gradual process. The facts are simple - this virus spreads easily through human contact. It would be foolish to think that once May 20th hits everything will go back to normal - it won't. Expect schools to be re-opened first, followed by businesses, then the gradual relaxing of social distancing guidelines. We expect (and this is only our opinion) that the first step would be allowing groups or 10 or less, followed by 50 or less, and then 250 or less before the restrictions are totally lifted. Gatherings will most likely be the last restriction listed as education and economy are far more important.
3. June Looks Like a Long Shot At Best. If you have a car show in June, you may be re-scheduling it. As we said above, the restrictions will most likely be gradually relaxed, and based on Governor Murphy's remarks and statements in press conferences and interviews, he feels this could go well into the summer and has said that there won't be changes "anytime soon."
4. July? It's Possible, But Not Guaranteed. For the same reasons as June. The bottom line is simple - the fate of our car show season will be determined by the common sense of others. If people don't social distance and follow the guidelines, we won't be able to salvage this season. I do think there is a chance that we could start seeing smaller cruises and shows happening sometime in July, but again, that's based on flattening the curve and the numbers of infected going down.
5. OK, So What About August, September, and October? I think that by August we should have the ability to enjoy some car shows, and certainly by September and October. As we have already stated, this depends on people following the rules, social distancing, and the numbers of infected going down.
6. So I Have a Show Planned? Now What? If your show is in April or May - you need to cancel or postpone it now. If your show is in June, I would wait until mid-May when the next announcements are made, however I would seriously discuss a new date later in the year or cancelling. If your show is in July or later, I would wait until more information is available before doing anything. One thing to consider - there are only so many weekends in a season, and we are going to wind up with lots of shows on the same day. Take that into consideration when making your decisions. Keep in mind some shows have already been scheduled for August and beyond 2020, so it's going to be a crowded tail end of the season.
We hope this has helped answer some lingering questions you may have. If not, email us at jerseyshorecarshows@gmail.com and we will do our best to answer your question.
We have also set up a special "COVID-19 UPDATE HUB" on the website. This will list all show cancellations, postponements, and changes. Please understand we can ONLY update these events if the show runners get us the information! So as always, before heading out to any event, now more than ever, please CHECK WITH THE EVENT first! Here is the link to our COVID-19 UPDATE HUB: https://www.jerseyshorecarshows.com/covid-19-show-updates
As always, we thank you for using Jersey Shore Car Shows to get your information on area events. If there is anything we can do to help further, please reach out to us!