Coronavirus Concerns Sideline St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Mayor Justin Elicker Monday afternoon announced the postponement of this Sunday’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade as part of a broader effort to limit large public gatherings in order to stem the spread of the COVID-19/coronavirus.

Elicker was following the lead of Gov. Ned Lamont, who earlier Monday called for a limit on state government gatherings of 100 more people. Yale University, too, has asked students not to hold any non-class events with more than 100 people.

Following is the text of Elicker’s announcement:

Due to the growing concern of the potential spread of COVID-19, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, and City health officials — including Health Director Maritza Bond and Community Services Administrator Dr. Mehul Dalal — are recommending that gatherings of more than 100 people be postponed until further notice. Additionally, the Mayor is announcing the postponement of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Governor Ned Lamont issued similar guidance regarding large gatherings this morning.

​“The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of New Haven’s important community and historical events, and it is with great disappointment that we need to postpone the event. Given the thousands of out of town visitors for the parade and the number of first-responders that are required to staff the parade, we have assessed that the risks of potential community spread — and significant impacts that would have on the region and our first responders — merit the decision to postpone the parade. We realize this has a significant impact on the many groups that participate in organizing and marching in the parade and on local businesses. We regret the inconvenience but want to emphasize the need to keep our city safe for residents and visitors,” stated Mayor Justin Elicker. ​“The situation related to COVID-19 is evolving very rapidly. Our team is meeting on a daily basis to evaluate the situation and will share any guidance to the public as soon as new information is available.”

​“As a global city, we need to take every precaution possible to mitigate any chance of a COVID-19 case in New Haven,” stated New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond. ​“This is a serious and growing public health concern. I strongly urge all our residents to follow our Health Department guidelines and further guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).”

As the City recommends that large gatherings be postponed, concurrently, the City will be evaluating its own meetings and gatherings on a rolling basis to make determinations for each event as to how to effectively conduct business while evaluating any public health risks as they exist at the time the decisions need to be made.

The City yesterday released the following precautions in preparation for a potential case of COVID-19 in New Haven:
• Please practice safe hygiene. Refrain from shaking hands with other people, wash your hands frequently and vigorously for at least 20 seconds, and not to touch your face.
• The elderly or those with chronic medical conditions are particularly impacted by COVID19 –please stay home as much as possible. Family members and friends of the elderly should please respect visitor policies at long-term care facilities.
• If you are sick, please stay home and do not go to work or school or to public gatherings.
• If you have flu-like symptoms and have interacted with someone known to have COVID19, please stay at home and immediately call your health care provider and then call the New Haven Health Department emergency line – 203 – 946-4949.
• If you are an employer, please pass along this message to your employees.

For more information on COVID-19 preparedness visit the City of New Haven website to access guidelines from the Health Department for residents, shelters, schools, businesses, detention facilities, daycares, and nursing facilities.