BREAKING: Drillimation Appearance at CelebrateErie Cancelled After COVID Outbreak

Drillimation Systems announced they will be cancelling their appearance at CelebrateErie as a result of a COVID outbreak in the studio. All users on the official Drillimation Discord server received a ping on Monday morning Eastern Daylight Time about the cancellation due to the outbreak.

The ping mentioned that the CelebrateErie appearance would be cancelled due to a suspected coronavirus outbreak. Drillimation confirmed that one of their staff members started showing symptoms of the virus Friday and tested positive Monday morning. That staff member was coughing and splattering repeatedly. Just now, a second staff member is also showing symptoms. This has brought in big concerns that the Prophet may be next.

“Unfortunately, Drillimation Systems has made the decision to cancel the appearance at CelebrateErie this weekend due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Prophet feels he cannot conduct his activity at the event safely,” Drillimation said in a tweet. Local players are already furious about his absence.

Even though the coronavirus pandemic has ended, it has reached its endemic phase and the virus will be here to stay. Drillimation Systems was left with no choice but to shut down the studio for a week as a precaution. A deep clean of the whole studio is being undertaken to ensure the safest return for all staff members who are fit to return when it reopens on Monday, August 21, 2023.

According to the Erie County government website, the number of new cases over the past week has been very low averaging less than a dozen, with no new deaths reported. This outbreak may impact operations at Drillimation, given if the Prophet tests positive or not. As of this writing, the second stage of Touhou Meijinka ~ Song of Divine Tempest is in development and could lead to potential delays. Future videos for this week may also be impacted.