Coronavirus : Emergency meeting to decide whether to cancel St Patrick’s Day parades in Derry and Strabane

An emergency meeting to discuss cancelling the St Patrick’s Day events in Derry and Strabane is due to take place at around 12 noon today (Tuesday).

Parades in Dublin and right across the Republic, including those in Buncrana and Moville were cancelled yesterday. Within hours Belfast announced its parade was also being called off.

Around 600 participants were expected to take part in Derry’s city centre parade and hundreds of people have spent months preparing costumes and routines for the event, with attracts thousands of spectators. However, given the unprecedented global publich health crisis similar large scale events and festivals across Ireland and across the world have already been cancelled with the agreement of organisers.

Sinn Féin Council Leader, Sandra Duffy yesterday asked the Mayor Michaela Boyle to convene an urgent meeting to make a decision on the St. Patrick’s Day Parades locally.

Colr. Duffy said: “With the growing concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus, I am calling on the Mayor to convene an urgent meeting of Council to discuss and decide on whether the St. Patrick’s Day Parade should proceed.

“I have had numerous contacts from people in the City seeking an answer to what is happening. I believe that we as a Council need to put the health and welfare of citizens front and centre in our decision making.”

St Patrick’s Day celebrations scheduled to take place across the south of Ireland next Tuesday have been cancelled to avoid large crowds gathering, as the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 continues to rise.

The number of cases of Coronavirus detected in people in the north has quadrupled over the last four days to 12 as of Sunday, with a further 24 in the south, bringing the total to 36, with many more people awaiting results.

Derry City & Strabane District Council confirmed yesterday that, as things stand, the parades through Derry and Strabane, both of which draw thousands of spectators each year, are proceeding as planned.

A spokesperson said: “The Council, as part of its emergency planning process has continuity plans in place if required. In relation to our planned Spring Carnival celebrations for St Patrick’s Day in Derry and Strabane, these are still going ahead as planned.

“We will continue to work closely with the relevant statutory agencies including the Department for Health and the Public Health Agency in term of guidance and advice relating to the coronavirus at public events.”

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood meanwhile has also raised the issue of large public gatherings in the Assembly, and has called on public authorities to postpone large scale public events including St Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

The Foyle MP said yesterday: “Our first priority must be to the health and safety of the public as the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.

“SDLP MLAs have today submitted a suite of questions to Executive Ministers probing our preparedness for a significant outbreak on this island and asking what contingency plans are in place to protect public services.”