Taipei, July 23 (CNA) An annual swim fest in Nantou County will be canceled this year due to restrictions on gatherings to combat the spread of COVID-19, the county's deputy magistrate Chen Cheng-Sheng said Friday.

The Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival will not take place this year, Chen announced after a county government meeting to discuss COVID-19 responses.

The central government announced earlier Friday that it was lowering the COVID-19 alert level on July 27, but it still limited outdoor gatherings to no more than 100 people, making it impossible for the event to proceed, Chen said.

The lack of medical personnel available for the event because of their commitments related to the COVID-19 vaccination drive was also behind the decision, he said.

The Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival was first held in 1983 at the famous lake. It is usually held around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, attracting tens of thousands of participants.

Covering a distance of approximately three kilometers, the event was officially listed in the World's Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002.

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 21.