St Patrick’s Day socially-distanced parade goes on in New York as CDC warns to stay away from parties

USUALLY raucous St Patrick’s Day partying in New York were dramatically curtailed for a second year running amid fears of super-spreading events. 

The rousing parade did return to the streets of the Big Apple but without the spectacle of huge crowds of revellers as the event was largely virtual. 

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Last year’s St Patrick’s Day was cancelled as the pandemic ripped through New York City as bars, restaurants and schools were closed.

So far Covid-19 has killed more than 30,300 residents. 

But this year, the annual shindig paying tribute to Irish Americans — which organizers say started in 1762 — was back, albeit with a dramatic slimmed-down event. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio was among a small group of early risers who gathered from 6.30 am on Lexington Avenue and 26th Street to march to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

The major’s office tweeted: "This morning’s parade may have looked a little different, but the spirit of our Irish community shone through all the brighter."

The reduced parade came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urging crowds to stay home.

This morning’s parade may have looked a little different, but the spirit of our Irish community shone through all the brighter

Mayor Bill de Blasio

Many of the annual events — including Mass by Timothy Cardinal Dolan — were instead live-streamed for New Yorkers to toast the day from home.

Relaxed restrictions on city restaurants and bars mean New Yorkers can again celebrate what is traditionally a key party date. 

But capacity will be capped at 35 percent in the usually packed hotspots.

The CDC issued guidance pleading with people to stay home as thousands of revelers flocked to Savannah this week, which usually hosts the third-largest parade in the .

Regardless, Savannah is preparing for its largest crowds since the yearlong pandemic began an influx that officials worry could bring a surge in coronavirus infections.

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The Irish holiday typically means Savannah's manicured squares and magnolia-shaded sidewalks are packed with thousands of gaudy green revelers on March 17.

But with Georgia still reporting at least 1,000 new Covid-19 infections daily while ranking last in U.S. vaccinations, city officials pulled the plug on this year's parade as they did a year ago when the pandemic was starting.

Likewise, Savannah City Hall withheld a permit for the sprawling St. Patrick's festival that's typically a magnet for beer-fueled revelry along the city's riverfront promenade of bars and souvenir shops.

But sidelining Savannah's largest gatherings hasn't stopped the party. 

The city's top tourism official says hotels in the downtown historic district could be 90 per cent full this weekend the busiest they've been in the past year.

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