Covid forces Punxsutawney Phil to go virtual; no crowds on Gobbler's Knob in February

Say it ain’t so, but the covid-19 pandemic will keep thousands of people from witnessing whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow atop the famed Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney on Feb. 2 and forecasts six more weeks of winter.

Even though people want to see Phil’s prognostication in person for the 135th time — the critter gives worldwide attention to the tiny Jefferson County town — the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club has determined it is in the best interests of public safety that Phil crawl out of his hole without his screaming fans cheering him on.

“The potential covid risks to overcome are too great,” the Groundhog Club said in a statement posted on the club’s website.

In deciding to go virtual on Feb. 2, the club said it has been in contact with health officials and those providing guidance on safe practices during the pandemic.

Worry not that you might miss Phil make his weather forecast, though.

The club is making plans so that followers can watch the live ceremony and prognostication via broadcasting and on all outlets, including television, internet and live streaming, said Jeffrey Lundy, Groundhog Club president.

Groundhog Day is a festive time in the town about 20 miles north of Indiana, so the club is developing numerous live internet, website and virtual events and interactions to take the place of the traditional in-person activities.

Information regarding these virtual events will be listed on the club website, groundhog.org.

If public health conditions change for the better and in-person Groundhog Day activities could be held safely, the club is prepared to return to tradition. But with covid-19 cases on the rise in Pennsylvania and across the United States, this remains unlikely.

The club is hoping to have guests return to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney in February 2022.