Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day parade canceled, bars warned about occupancy

A St. Patrick’s Day party will go on in Pittsburgh on Saturday without a parade, but the city is asking bar owners to voluntarily reduce the number of patrons allowed inside and said they would strictly enforce occupancy limits.

The spreading coronavirus that causes covid-19 prompted city officials to cancel the popular parade, which dates to the 19th century and has been an annual Pittsburgh tradition since 1950.

City officials said they’ve banned international and domestic travel by city employees. Key city officials will be permitted to travel within the United States, but only in an emergency and with written permission.

Pittsburgh also enacted a ban on all events of 50 or more people hosted by the city until further notice, according to Dan Gilman, Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff.

Gilman said the city is not yet considering a limit or ban on large public events hosted by private organizations.

“If the next step needs to be taken, we’re doing our research in partnership with other agencies to do that,” he said.

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Cities across the country are canceling events and limiting crowd sizes because of the growing threat of the virus, which has infected more than 1,000 in the United States and 100,000 worldwide.

Pennsylvania now has 15 confirmed coronavirus cases, all in the eastern part of the state. Allegheny County had not confirmed any cases of the coronavirus as of Wednesday afternoon.

Gilman said officials decided to cancel the parade early Wednesday after Peduto, who is returning Wednesday from a National League of Cities conference in Washington, spoke with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. They also considered recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia have canceled their annual St. Patrick’s Day parades.

“While an incredible tradition and a great opportunity for our community, the health and safety of our residents and our visitors must be our top priority at all times,” Gilman said. “Given the recommendations of the CDC on social distancing, it is in the best public health of the city and the region to cancel the parade at this time.”

The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee plans to reschedule the parade at a later date, possibly in the fall, according to Chairman Jeffrey “Mac” McCafferty.

“We had a committee of 50 or 80 people working on this since December, and we don’t want our work to be for nought,” McCafferty said. “We’ll work with the city and see when we can do it again.”

He said the organization would host its traditional crowning of Miss Smiling Irish Eyes on Saturday at the North Shore’s Rivers Casino. This year’s honoree is Stephanie O’Donnell, a 2019 Penn-Trafford High School graduate.

Festivities in the South Side bar and restaurant district will go on as planned.

The city is offering free shuttle service to the South Side from the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s First Avenue light rail station and a city-owned parking lot on Second Avenue. Parking in the Second Avenue lot will be free all night and visitors are permitted to leave vehicles there overnight without charge.

The city is providing portable toilets with hand sanitizer at locations throughout the neighborhood and will have additional medics and ambulances available.

Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said personnel, including police and fire inspectors, would be out in force and pay close attention to occupancy limits. Officers will close an establishment for the remainder of the day if “they are one person over” a limit, he said.

The city issued letters to bar and restaurant owners advising them of the situation and urging them to clean bathrooms regularly, provide patrons with soap and hand sanitizer, use disposable cups and instruct employees to stay at home if they feel sick.

“This may be one of the most challenging incidents or events that the city of Pittsburgh and public safety has faced,” Hissrich said.

Gilman predicted the virus would exact a heavy economic toll locally and across the country.

“The financial impact of this is incredibly real,” he said. “Obviously not only to the Irish bars, but to this country. It’s something we take tremendously seriously and worry greatly about the economic impact. That being said, public health and public safety have to always be our No. 1.”