This SC town is planning a Christmas parade despite COVID. The mayor doesn’t want it
A South Carolina mayor is against a Christmas parade that is being planned for his town as the coronavirus continues its spread.
Will Haynie, mayor of Mount Pleasant, said he opposed having the traditional parade after listening to guidance from health experts. When Sunday night’s event came up for discussion, he and another council member were outvoted 7-2.
“We felt like a drive-through parade like was done in the city of Bluffton, which is right down the coast from us, would remove the potential risk exposure to our citizens and to the estimated 200 town staff that will be involved in this in one way or another,” Haynie told McClatchy News in a phone interview Tuesday.
With enough support from the town council, the Christmas Light Parade is set this weekend, the Experience Mount Pleasant website said as of Wednesday morning. An application that the town sent to the state said an estimated 10,000 spectators were expected, according to Haynie.
The event typically features illuminated floats and school bands along a 1.5-mile parade route in the heart of the Charleston-area town, the mayor said. This year, Mount Pleasant is asking holiday parade attendees to take steps to stay healthy, including not leaving home while sick and wearing face coverings when it’s not possible to be 6 feet from others.
“There’s a lot of things we can do to socially distance in the parade, we don’t have to have 100 floats like we usually do, going down Coleman Boulevard you have a median in the middle so two lanes separating on you from the citizens,” said Gary Santos, a town council member and parade organizer, according to WCBD.
For those who won’t attend the parade, video of the event will be streamed live on the town’s Facebook page, officials say. Santos and another council member who supported the parade said it’s a town tradition, news outlets report.
“If people do not feel comfortable, then of course, there is no obligation for anyone to attend,” said council member Jake Rambo, according to WCIV. “The last thing I am going to do is tell the kids they can’t have a normal Christmas. That’s for each family to decide.”
Haynie said he doesn’t plan to participate in the in-person event and that it can be tough to control crowding at parades since they don’t require ticketed seats. He told McClatchy News that in Mount Pleasant, the mayor doesn’t have the “executive authority” to call the shots about the parade.
“I agree we need to have Christmas cheer for our children and all that,” he said in an interview. “But I think a reverse parade would take all of the risk out and still have all the rewards.”
The traditional parade is being planned as South Carolina on Tuesday reported a positive test rate of 18.9% and the fifth straight day of 2,000 new coronavirus cases. Also, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients exceeded 1,100 — a statewide total not seen since August, The State reported.
To help slow the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges everyone to avoid coming into close contact with people from outside their households. Everyone planning to be in public should wear masks, cover their coughs and wash their hands as soon as possible, according to health officials.
The pandemic has prompted at least three nearby cities to change their holiday parade plans, while others moved forward with their events, news outlets report. As the Mount Pleasant parade approaches, social media users are divided about whether it should still go on.
“Can’t wait,” one person commented on the town’s Facebook page. “You can easily distance yourself here and it’s outdoors. I’ve been every year. Never felt crammed in at all. You don’t have to be in front of the restaurants where it’s a little busier.”
Another person wrote: “6 foot distance at a parade? Good luck with that! Here’s an idea... why don’t you realize that it’s ok to NOT have a parade one year for the greater good. Guess I’m one of those ‘cave dwellers’ that listens to the doctors and scientists.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 12:03 PM with the headline "This SC town is planning a Christmas parade despite COVID. The mayor doesn’t want it."
