Muskegon St. Patrick’s Day Parade canceled amid coronavirus concerns

The Muskegon St. Patrick’s Day Parade, originally scheduled for March 14, has been canceled following state health officials’ recommendations that communities do not hold large gatherings in light of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers announced Thursday morning.

“Due to the recent concerns over COVID-19, at this time, our organization has determined that we are going to cancel the parade due to the recommendation from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services,” organizers wrote on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Facebook page. “We want to take the mitigation community strategies seriously for the Muskegon community and hope that you can respect our decision to cancel this event. We hope to be back and better than ever for St. Patrick’s Day 2021!”

JCI Greater Muskegon, a nonprofit that organizes the annual event, urged residents to make a donation to Catholic Charities, Love Inc., or Salvation Army despite the parade being canceled. The three organizations were the beneficiaries of donations from the parade.

“They are still in need of donations and will be ever more so with the current state of our country,” JCI Greater Muskegon wrote.

Yesterday, March 11, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state health officials said communities need to take aggressive precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus. One of their recommendations was for communities to cancel any large gatherings (events of more than 100 people), conferences, and sporting events.

For more information about coronavirus and its impact in Muskegon, please click here.

Story by Anna Gustafson, the publisher and editor of Muskegon Times. You can connect with her by emailing muskegontimes@gmail.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.