It causes me great sadness to have to announce that we had to cancel the 2021 Christmas Tour. I’m just sick about it, for just over a month ago I was in Salt Lake City, and everything looked like a 2021 Tour was a go. We even announced that fact (although in a limited way). Then… Over the next few weeks the Delta variant of Covid began to spread, and now it’s causing chaos. We have no idea when this may end, and will quit trying to predict it. In my county of Pierce (where Tacoma, Washington is) the case numbers were down to 60 per day when we made our announcement. Today we are at 556. And I am noting that the dead are younger than previously. Our county isn’t the exception. Much of the USA is dealing with it. Hospitals are full and ICU beds are often at percentages over 100%.
On a personal level, a cousin that I visited on the way to Salt Lake a month ago (July 15 to be exact) was in ICU, on a ventilator, and given a 50-50 chance. That was a week ago. He died Saturday evening. This is just the latest Covid casualty in our family. Beyond that, as you all know, it pretty well messed me up between January and July, and I’m terrified of it.
The 2022 Salt Lake Christmas Tour is planned for Sunday, December 4 through Saturday, December 10. Fly out on Sunday, December 11, 2022.
If you can get to Salt Lake City, just know that the Family History Library is open. The staff took the time during the Covid closing to rearrange and update the entire library. It’s pretty amazing. And the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel is still the place to stay.