City, health officials hope for quiet 2021 St. Patrick’s Day in London, Ont.

City and public health officials in London, Ont., are hoping for a repeat of last year when the second St. Patrick’s Day to occur during the novel coronavirus pandemic gets underway Wednesday.

“You might not remember, but literally days after the pandemic really first took hold, St. Patrick’s Day was the first major public event or celebration where we asked people not to party and not to gather in large numbers,” deputy mayor Josh Morgan said Monday.

“To the credit of Londoners, but especially those at Western (University) and Fanshawe (College), we had no issues whatsoever. People listened, they made smart decisions and we avoided any outbreaks. That’s what I’m hoping for again this year, and I’m choosing to be optimistic.”

Morgan, Lucan-Biddulph mayor and Middlesex County warden Cathy Burghardt-Jesson and Middlesex-London Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie added that there is reason to be hopeful.

“What we’ve got going for us is that St Patrick’s Day is during the week this year, which is a plus,” said Burghardt-Jesson.

“And students, of course, are getting ready for the year-end so, of course, they’ll be diligently studying, I’m sure. But I think that we’ve got a handle on how we should behave and I do have faith in our residents.”

Mackie said “we’ve also got the weather on our side” and encouraged residents looking to celebrate to “keep it outdoors, keep it small, avoid any indoor gatherings and certainly large indoor gatherings.”

Police and municipal bylaw officers will also be on hand to “deal with any situations that arise,” Morgan said.

Morgan also pointed to restrictions in place in the region under the province’s COVID-19 response framework.

“The rules are clear: 10 people, max, inside a home. Twenty-five people max outside,” he said, adding that even outside of those restrictions, close contact with people outside of one’s bubble should be avoided.

“Through the hard work of our community, we earned ourselves a trip back into orange. And the last thing anybody wants is for St Patrick’s Day to push us back into a more restrictive framework.”

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The orange level also involves restrictions for restaurants and pubs, allowing for a maximum of 50 people in a restaurant with tables seating no more than four each.

Also under orange, liquor may only be sold or served between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m and establishments must be closed from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (except for takeout and delivery).

“These will be fairly helpful protective factors. I don’t see a need on that day to go above the current restrictions,” Mackie said.

General manager of The Scot’s Corner, Billy Thomson, says he was concerned that they wouldn’t even be allowed to open on Wednesday but he’s ready to go ahead with a smaller-scale celebration.

“We do have some some music… probably around seven o’clock, seven til nine. We always put on the best menu you could ask for with the corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew and all that kind of stuff. We used to have about seven or eight different Irish specials, but we’re only going to do about two or three just to limit it, because, again, we can only have 50 people in here,” he said.

“Obviously it sucks for a business thing, but I get it. I mean, if there was a day that potentially was the day to spread it, it would be a day like (St. Patrick’s Day) when the place would be full and all the students having parties and all that kind of stuff.”

Thomson is hoping next year will be different, but in the meantime he’s reminding people to treat staff with respect.

“Everyone is trying the best — not just my restaurant and bar, but all the restaurants. Everybody’s trying their best. We would much rather have a busier bar without restrictions, but we’re not allowed to. Some people forget that,” he said.

“So you just always want to remind people to be nice and and be friendly and hopefully next year this is all gone and we can have a good time next year.”