Trainers, this weekend is a very long awaited Community Day, with Axew as the featured Pokémon. Typically for these events we encourage you to go outdoors and meet up with your friends, your local community, make new pals, and more, but this Community Day is going to be impacted heavily on the East Coast of North America by the wildfires in Canada. The air is filled with thick orange smoke, with scientists saying just a small amount of breaths outdoors could be worse than smoking an entire pack of cigars. Currently the fires are still burning, and it isn’t known when they will be successfully put out, or when the air quality will improve.
We urge you to stay safe this Community Day. Your health and safety is far more important than any Community Day, even one as hyped as Axew. The smoke is spreading down the East Coast, with a huge impact on New York and further afield. The air quality in the area is considered ‘very unhealthy’, with outdoor activities cancelled, Broadway cancelling performances, and flights grounded. As of this morning New York City has the worst air quality of any city in the world, with 13 states issuing warnings about air quality, affecting millions of people.
People are being urged to wear good quality masks, like N95 masks, across America and Canada, with New Yorkers being recommended to stay indoors whenever possible, with closed windows. New York governor Kathy Hochul has recommended that outdoor activities be postponed, and as such, we hope that people will listen to this advise and avoid going outdoors this Axew Community Day.
Particularly vulnerable people with asthma, smokers, ex-smokers, people with long covid, and other lung conditions should also take extra precautions, and try to avoid going outside even with a mask.
Remember that while Axew Community Day may be exciting, your health is far more important, and that Axew will return as part of the 2023 December Community Day later in the year, giving you the chance to get the shiny then. We know incense can be frustrating when stationary, but maybe consider popping an incense at home, and maybe you’ll get lucky that way. A shiny Pokémon isn’t worth risking your lungs for. You will get another chance to get your shiny Axew!
We hope that Niantic will consider giving a makeup event to those currently impacted by these devastating wildfires, and wish all our readers impacted by them safety and good health.
Stay safe trainers!
