My riding and ski partner works as a physician at Intermountain Hospitals in Utah. He and his colleagues saw quite a bit of death last year. Several of their colleagues died or were in the ICU with COVID. Intermountain is the main sponsor of St. George 70.3. This triathlon will bring thousands of people from around the world to a small town in Utah during a pandemic. We can debate whether or not Ironman and the County should allow a triathlon during a pandemic. The private equity company that own$ Ironman and the conservative elected officials in Utah who have ignored the pandemic for 14 months think it is a swell idea. Thousands of our fellow triathletes seem to think it is a good idea too (even though most states have said it is way too early for mass participation events). My question for the forum concerns Intermountain. Should a major hospital system be sponsoring an event that could literally cause increased COVID cases in southern Utah? I just read the following article. My opinion is that it is disgraceful for them to be sponsoring this event. Thoughts? Please read article before replying.
https://khn.org/...st-on-the-frontline/
https://khn.org/...st-on-the-frontline/