Coronavirus Cancels St. Patrick's Day Parade In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, MD — The March 14 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Ocean City has been canceled due to concerns about the new coronavirus. The event, sponsored by the Delmarva Irish-American Club, kickstarts the community's Irish Festival that also will not take place.

“This was a no-win decision,” said DIAC parade chairman Buck Mann in a statement. “We do not want to cancel the parade, but more importantly we do not want to put anyone at risk. Our hearts and our heads were conflicted, but in this case, the smart thing to do was listen to the guidance being given by health officials and error on the side of safety.”

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On Wednesday, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan addressed a letter to residents and visitors of Ocean City about the town’s precautionary measures.

“There is no higher priority to the town of Ocean City than the health and safety of the people who live here, work here and vacation here,” the letter read. “I can assure you that the town is closely monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding COVID-19 and is working closely with our partners at the Worcester County Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health.”