Marlborough Police To End Birthday Parades

MARLBOROUGH, MA — One of the more uplifting traditions to come out of the coronavirus pandemic will soon end in Marlborough. The department said Tuesday that it would stop leading birthday parades by July 1.

Birthday parades became a national trend this spring as people were forced to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus. Police, firefighters, paramedics, and regular people formed long car parades to drive by homes of people who were celebrating a birthday.

In Marlborough, the parades will have to be phased out due to an expected rise in calls for service.

"We can say with confidence that every police officer, firefighter, paramedic and school bus driver enjoyed seeing the smiles, waves and personalized signs at each location," the department wrote in a Facebook post. "The kind words spread on social media have not gone unnoticed, and we thank everyone for their continued support."

Coronavirus has begun to wane in Massachusetts with warmer weather. Case numbers and hospitalizations are trending down, and some businesses have begun to open.

So far during the pandemic, Marlborough has counted 912 cases and 38 deaths. There were 259 active coronavirus cases in town as of May 26.

Marlborough police will still honor birthday parades that are scheduled through July 1.