Carmen Hall: Cancel all the major events until we navigate through Omicron

The One Love Festival has been postponed until April. Photo / NZME

Maybe it's old age. Maybe I just don't like being squashed into crowds smelling other people's stinky armpits and beer breath.

Maybe I just prefer to sit at home and munch on chips instead of breaking a sweat. Maybe I'm a big killjoy. Or maybe I just like looking after my own best interests and I'm selfish. The latter is probably true.

But I am avoiding the topic, which brings me to my soapbox.

Concerts. Gigs. Outdoor sporting events. Music festivals. Large congregations of people. And the arrival of Omicron.

Every day more events are being cancelled or postponed and the outcry from organisers and some members of the community has been deafening.

The largest reggae concert in New Zealand, One Love, has been bumped to April, which has left organisers gutted. The two-day event injects much-needed money into the Tauranga economy and boosts numbers at bars, restaurants and accommodation providers.

Over the hill, in Rotorua, the cancellation of the Whaka 100 mountain biking event has been labelled "nonsensical" by its supporters, despite Omicron fears. Riders had already downloaded maps onto their GPS devices and were likely to hit the trails regardless, without any safety measures.

This is just a small example of events affected by Omicron and the new red light setting. There are heaps of other shindigs that have fallen to the wayside, and I agree that it's sad.

I know there will be a lot of angry people out there who have lost money and been put through the wringer trying to showcase their events.

I can sympathise with the stress associated with that and how on again, off again scenarios can be a torturous mind game.

Humans are a sociable species who like to hang out with each other or enjoy activities as part of the crowd. That's nice but Covid can kill people and you are at greater risk if you attend an event.

I'd like to see all large events iced until we navigate our way through the upcoming Omicron turmoil.

I'm not taking any chances and I'm prepared to fly solo.