The Cleveland Orchestra has canceled its 2020 Christmas Concerts due to ongoing concerns over COVID-19.

The organization was set to showcase a concert series between Dec. 10-23, 2020 at Severance Hall.

“As we all follow the alarming news of increased numbers of positive Covid-19 cases across the entire state of Ohio and the country, please know that our priorities lie with ensuring everyone stay safe during this awful time,” said André Gremillet, President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra in a press statement. “Canceling our Christmas concerts is just another very small example of how our world in 2020 has turned us all upside down. The decision to cancel the concerts while not easy, but has become obvious. It is so unfortunate as we all know how much these concerts are a cherished, holiday season tradition for our community, but the health and safety of our audiences, musicians, staff, and volunteers must come first.”

Ohio has seen a spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases with the state seeing a whopping 8,071 new cases on Nov. 17, 2020; prior to September 2020, the state’s record high for positive COVID cases had been 1,733 new cases in one day. The state has also recorded 225 deaths over the last week.