BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced Friday that parades, festivals, and other events that call for large gatherings of people will not take place in Boston this summer due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Large-scale events in Boston have been canceled through Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 7, Walsh said during a news conference at City Hall.
“We are planning a healthy reopening and an equitable recovery process right now, I know this announcement will be disappointing,” Walsh said. “But we do not envision, at this point, this summer, when it will make sense to have large-scale crowds gathered in close contact for any prolonged periods of time. So, I am announcing today, that parades and festivals will not take place this summer in the city of Boston.”
Smaller events will be looked at on a “case-by-case” basis, according to Walsh.
Anyone who has a scheduled event that brings crowds of more than 10 people together, such as concerts, flag raisings, or road races should “start looking at other plans,” Walsh added.
“This is a public health decision, and it’s the right decision,” Walsh said. “These are events that represent our community with pride and tradition…I’m certainly going to miss them and our city will miss them.”
As of Thursday, there were 10,598 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Boston and 486 virus-related deaths. A total of 2,882 Bostonians have recovered but the city still has the single-highest case count in Massachusetts by a great margin.
The Boston Pops also announced that it has canceled its live Fourth of July concert and fireworks extravaganza on the Esplanade.
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The pops will instead hold a televised and live-streamed “Salute to Our Heroes” performance on Saturday, July 4, to pay tribute to frontline workers and honor those who have lost their life to COVID-19.
“I’m grateful to the BSO for coming up with a thoughtful and inspiring way to bring us together once again,” Walsh said.
Walsh noted that the city will be looking into coming up with “creative alternatives” for events that get canceled. He encouraged organizers to host events through virtual means, such as the 24th Annual 2020 Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, which has transitioned into a virtual walk-a-thon.
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