NORFOLK, Va. – The Navy announced Friday that Fleet Week New York (FWNY) has been canceled due to the continued spread and concerns of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, across the United States.
The Navy is now refocusing its efforts to quickly prepare hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) for deployment to New York City to help support non-COVID-19 medical needs in the area. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would visit Norfolk to see the ship off.
“We did not come to this decision lightly, but feel it is necessary to cancel this year’s Fleet Week New York to help mitigate further spread of the virus,” said Rear Adm. Charles W. Rock, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. “Fleet Week is a tremendous partnership between the people of New York City and our Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard team. We appreciate your understanding during these challenging circumstances.”
The last time FWNY was canceled was in 2013 as a result of budget shortfalls due to sequestration.
As of Friday, there are no plans to postpone or reschedule the event to a later date this year. This is one of many steps the Navy is taking to mitigate the spread of the virus.
