Were Covid-safe parades really out of the question?
ONE of the saddest pieces of news in recent weeks has been the announcement that Remembrance Sunday parades have had to be cancelled.
On one hand, perhaps it was inevitable. The infection rate for Coronavirus continues to rise sharply, although it’s always worth remembering that the vast majority of people in the UK have not yet been infected by Covid - and long may that continue.
But on the other hand, the prospect of our communities being unable to come together to mark the ultimate sacrifice made by so many in both world wars, and the conflicts which have followed, is worth challenging.
This isn’t a criticism of the organisers of our parades. They hold wonderful events every year, wonderful because of the way the parades bring communities together, even just for a few minutes.
The organisers had been facing challenges prior to the pandemic too. Last year, Rossendale Council had to step in to fund the traffic management of the parades after the police said they could no longer help.
It remains remarkable, and a sign of just how outof-touch Lancashire Police’s leadership can be, that they felt they could hide behind national event policing guidances to correct the ‘misconception’ that traffic management of events is a police responsibility.
Imagine if the fishing boat skippers who rescued our troops from Dunkirk had adopted a similar view of the world.
The pandemic now means that’s a problem for future years - but one the council, and especially the police, should seek to address sooner rather than later so that parade organisers can focus on making the 2021 event happen.
According to last week’s Free Press, at the heart of the decision to cancel the 2020 parades - and the services around the cenotaphs - is an interpretation of the latest lockdown rules for Lancashire, the conclusion being that the parades are essentially unlawful.
This makes sense: Large public gatherings are essentially banned now, and it’s testament to Rossendale’s respect for Remembrance Sunday that the parades are indeed large events.
But it would be interesting to know if Rossendale MP Jake Berry - who has attended meetings with the parade organisers and the council - has taken that interpretation back to the Government.
Did the government really mean to outlaw even the gathering of people around cenotaphs for just a few minutes? We are advised that the virus is likely to spread outdoors, and, of course, everyone could be required to wear masks.
It surely isn’t beyond the wit of the Government to ensure that rules are in place for people to behave sensibly at a short gathering around cenotaphs? We’re all capable of keeping the appropriate distance apart from each other while all looking towards a cenotaph.
It’s at this point that it would be easy to drift into war references about our battle with Coronavirus, but such references essen
●● Remembrance Sunday parades have been cancelled tially do little but to big up the parts being played by political leaders, while doing down the immense personal sacrifice made by so many, for so long, during the Second World War.
Will the government act? It seems likely that if such cancellations are repeated around the country, this will become a national news story. But by then, it will be too late to reinstate cancelled services.
For 2020, perhaps the greatest show of support we can all give is to do as organisers ask: Stand on our doorsteps at 11am and show our respect.