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NYC Mayor-Elect Eric Adams has officially scrapped his mayoral inauguration come January 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adams, Comptroller-elect Brad Lander, and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams made the somewhat expected announcement Tuesday morning in a joint statement.

“Dear fellow New Yorkers, it is clear that our city is facing a formidable opponent in the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and that the spike in cases presents a serious risk to public health. After consulting with public health experts, we have decided that our joint inauguration ceremony will be postponed to a later date in order to prioritize the health of all who were planning to attend, cover, and work on this major event,” the statement read in part.

During a press conference, Adams said that if the trajectory of the COVID spread in New York City didn’t change course, he had no problem pulling the plug on an inauguration.

According to a source close to the mayor, Adams never really wanted a big event, adding that if ultimately canceled, the money earmarked for the celebratory event would go to charity instead.

“I don’t need anything fancy, I’m still the mayor!” Adams said Monday. “This is not for me…I don’t need anything at all,” he went on to say. “All I need to do is move my mattress to Gracie Mansion and sleep on the floor.”

The ceremony was supposed to have taken place at Kings Theatre. In their statement, Adams, Lander, and Williams thanked the locale for offering to host the inauguration.

“We thank the King’s Theatre for their interest in hosting this exciting moment in our city’s history, and everyone who has been working hard to plan this celebration”, statement.

“Health and safety must come first. We encourage all New Yorkers to get vaccinated, get boosted, and get tested. That is our pathway out of this pandemic, and we will come out of it together.”

This post was originally published on VOSA.