St. Patrick’s parade postponed as events of 250 or more banned
Parades, hockey games, concerts and conferences are cancelled until further notice.
That was the word from Quebec Premier François Legault as the province came to terms with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Legault announced Thursday that he ordered the cancellation of all indoor activities with gatherings of 250 people or more. Several minutes later, the United Irish Societies (UIS) announced the postponement of the St. Patrick’s parade in Montreal, an event that has never been cancelled in its 196year history.
“There is a responsibility to our members, our community and our history to ensure the continuity of this event, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” the UIS said in a statement. “With today’s news conference held by the premier and in collaboration with the City of Montreal, we have deemed it in the best interests of health and safety, parade participants and the general public to postpone Montreal’s 197th St. Patrick’s parade. We will be sure to keep all informed of our future plans.”
Later, the NHL announced its season would be suspended. The NBA and Major League Soccer had already announced the suspension of their seasons. Major League Baseball cancelled spring training and the first two weeks of its season, which means the exhibition baseball game scheduled for this month at Olympic Stadium between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will be cancelled or postponed. The Canadian Hockey League, which includes the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, also announced all its games are suspended. The American Hockey League, which includes the Laval
Rocket, has been suspended as well.
Thursday evening, Hockey Quebec tweeted that it was cancelling all of its minor hockey operations for the 2019-2020 season.
Despite these cancellations, the Montreal métro can continue to run, even though more than 1,000 can fit into a métro train, public officials said.
During the news conference with Legault, Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s chief public health officer, said people can ride the métro, but they should be careful by washing their hands afterward and travelling outside peak hours if possible.
“Just because they clean the métro poles, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to wash your hands,” Arruda said.
“Wash your hands. If you are sick, try not to get close to anyone else. All these small habits can have an effect.”
In a statement, Société de transport de Montréal spokesperson Philippe Déry said the premier’s new order has not changed the preventive measures the transit authority put in place earlier this week.
On Wednesday, provincial Health Minister Danielle Mccann cancelled the World Figure Skating Championships, which were due to begin Monday in Montreal.
The cancellations are wreaking havoc with those who purchased tickets and made travel plans and now must try to get refunds.
“I bought a ticket and it will be easy for me to go to Evenko and get a refund,” said Patinage Québec vice-president Patrick Roch. “But most of the fans are coming from outside Canada, and they bought packages and they will have to deal with travel agents, who will have to deal with airlines and hotels.”
The Segal Centre has been cancelled, and Evenko cancelled all its concerts and events as well, at least for the next 30 days.
In a statement, Evenko said it took note of the Quebec government’s order and “understands and respects the need to control the risk of the virus spreading.”
Evenko said all shows for the next 30 days are cancelled, and ticket-holders will receive specific information about whether they will be refunded or the events will be rescheduled.
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal cancelled 11 shows, including a concert it planned to give in New York’s Carnegie Hall, which has cancelled all events scheduled until March 31.
Later Thursday, popular women’s clothing store Brandy Melville, which has an outlet on Ste-catherine St., announced all its stores are closed until further notice.
And Thursday night, Loto-québec announced that the Montreal Casino would close for an indefinite period.
We have deemed it in the best interests of health and safety, parade participants and the general public to postpone Montreal’s 197th St. Patrick’s parade.