Mayor Bill De Blasio Cancels NYC Parades And Other City-Permitted Events Through June
On Monday, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that the city is extending its cancellation of permitted nonessential events through June as officials continue to work towards slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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During the news conference, De Blasio explained that the move will apply to parades, concerts, rallies, and other large gatherings. He noted that the big LGBT Pride, Puerto Rican Day and Salute to Israel parades, which brings out thousands each year would be impacted by the decision.
He explained, “The bottom line is to think about safety, to think about saving lives, protecting people’s health, speeding us to that day when we get more normal,” de Blasio said. “This is the right thing to do.”
Although many may be disappointed that these events have canceled, De Blasio added that many of the event organizers are already developing plans to hold the festivities later in the year.
“We’re going to miss them, but they will be back, and we will find the right way to do it,” de Blasio said.
As we previously reported, the New York metropolitan area has become the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. The health department had reported nearly 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York City. There are roughly 8,800 confirmed deaths as of Monday morning.
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