With various events postponed or cancelled this summer in the Brown County area, the coronavirus has taken a toll on the things people have come to expect and enjoy when the weather finally becomes accommodating. City festivals are among the casualties, as officials look to keep people apart and healthy. The Brown County Relay for Life will not take place this year. Autofest is out. The Brown County Fair has been canceled, with no Minnesota State Fair to follow. Even Bavarian Blast ist kaput.

Plans for hosting the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Association Tournament in New Ulm this summer are on hold, waiting to see if the government will allow sporting events to be held in time to hold a baseball season.

People, of course, suffer when events like this are canceled. They suffer disappointment. They may suffer financially. They suffer lost opportunity. But trying to hold these events would cause the event to suffer, too, as fewer people attend out of fear of COVID-19, or to avoid the inconvenience of social distancing at normally crowded events.

So postponing, or even canceling an event in this day and age is the wise thing to do.

A delay is a delay; it’s not an insult. And it is smart for several reasons, including people’s health. And why spend countless hours planning and preparing — and spending money — for what could be bust in terms of turnout? Why not wait a bit and gauge a better time to move ahead?

Everyone is tired of hunkering down, but there is no need to rush some things. Certainly, it would be nice if Minnesota businesses would be allowed to move ahead faster. But one-time or annual events that are held by choice can use discretion to make sensible decisions, as many already have done.