OCEAN CITY, Md. - Visitors from near and far will be in Ocean City this weekend for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. But with eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Maryland's Western Shore, some worry about the outbreak spreading to the Lower Shore.
WBOC spoke with town officials Tuesday, who confirmed the parade and festival will still go on as planned Saturday. Officials added that there have not been any precautions put in place at this time, but that's not to say extra measures could be implemented before Saturday.
Many businesses say they're taking extra measures of their own in light of the virus outbreak. The manager of 33rd Street Guido's Burritos, Gina Restivo, says they'll be constantly wiping down the menus and work spaces more than usual.
"We just kind of upping the ante of the things we already do to maintain cleanliness and sanitation in the restaurant," Restivo says. "So we're not going to be using reusable rags this weekend, we're going to be using disposable ones. All the bussers will be wearing gloves."
The St. Patrick's holiday weekend is widely known as a seasonal kick-off for local businesses. Some people worry how businesses would be impacted if the parade was canceled before this weekend.
"I think it would definitely hurt a little bit," Tim Burrier, who works on the boardwalk, says. "I mean, they're all trying to get open this time of year and get their incomes rolling so I think that would definitely hurt." For some, there's no debate about whether the parade should still go on. "Business before health? No. Health before business," Joseph Dray, who works on the boardwalk, says. "They have to check everything. I mean even if they check everything and it's okay, there is no corona so they have to let the parade pass like normal. But if it's really necessary and something wrong, they can cancel it." Though no matter what happens this weekend, some businesses believe people will still show up. "I think we'll still have a decent weekend off of it. Will we get that hit on Saturday? Probably not as crazy but I still think people will come out," Restivo says. "I don't think people are going to cancel their plans this weekend. We're not there yet." Other businesses also say they're doing more to prepare for the weekend, like having more hand sanitizer available for customers.
Details of the parade route and times can be found
here.