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St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Ken Welch has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, his Thursday inauguration ceremony will be canceled and replaced with a virtual swearing-in with a short recorded speech.
Welch will remain in isolation for at least the next five days. He has been vaccinated and received a booster in November.
Welch, who is set to be the city’s first Black Mayor, was originally slated for an historic inauguration ceremony Thursday on the steps of City Hall. Last week, he decided to postpone several planned celebrations after the inauguration out of concern for the spike in COVID-19 cases.
– Kelly Hayes, The Tampa Bay 100