Yellow Springs cancels New Year’s Eve celebration

This browser does not support the video element.

YELLOW SPRINGS — The Village of Yellow Springs has canceled its public New Year’s Eve Celebration for 2021.

Just days away from the tradition, village leaders decided to pull the plug.

>>MORE: New Year’s Eve: Some Miami Valley events canceled, others going forward

Village City Manager, Josue Salmeron told News Center 7′s Gabrielle Enright that they have been watching the number of COVID-19 cases creep up leading them to make this decision.

“Yellow Springs has a high vaccination rate in the state based on our zip code compared to the rest of the state,” Salmeron said.

“We thought we were in a position to have an event and be as safe as possible but the omicron variant changed things for us. Not just us, across the country, if not the world.”

>> When will COVID-19 be treated like other illnesses?

During a typical New Year’s Eve celebration, the village has its own ball drop.

But this year, Salmeron says it would be irresponsible to move forward with a New Year’s event.