Concerned Pokémon Go players share Axew Community Day PSA over health concerns in New York City

The upcoming Axew Community Day is one of the most hyped in recent Pokémon Go memory, but there are some serious concerns for any players who may have been looking to join in on the east coast of North America. 

Wildfires continue to rage in Canada, which has led to massive damage in the surrounding areas and dangerous effects to spread in a wide swath down the coast.

While the actual physical dangers of the flames are one thing, the smoke blowing around New England and the Mid-Atlantic has seen a sharp decline in air quality levels—not to mention the imagery of orange skies in places like New York City.

The hazardous conditions have led to many public officials and experts asking individuals to remain indoors where possible to avoid inhaling smoke and damaging their lungs from exposure. Because of these warnings and the lack of projected improvement in air quality, several Pokémon Go players have posted PSAs to try and spread awareness. 

“The current state of issues isn’t expected to last,” Moon_Dark said on Reddit. “But given the collateral damage that has previously been caused by forest wildfires. The clear up likely couldn’t come by the time Axew Community day rolls around.”

Most responses to these PSAs have been positive discussions on the best areas to play Pokémon Go indoors during poor conditions, or reminding the community this is just a game and not to endanger themselves for an event.

Some players have called for Niantic to provide extensions or potentially run the event again once things clear up in the impacted regions.

Unfortunately, many comments have pointed out that issues like this have not been taken into account for Community Day or other Pokémon Go events—noting previous California wildfires and resulting air quality concerns in major cities like Seattle as two examples.

Suppose you really need a Haxorus that knows Breaking Swipe for Battle League matches. In that case, you can use an Elite TM later or simply wait until the December Community Day event when all of the year’s featured Pokémon appear again.

As one Pokémon Go player said, “Risking your health isn’t worth it to eek out some extra DPS over Salamence.”