Coronavirus: Streets of Belfast eerily quiet for St Patrick’s Day

The streets of Belfast were eerily quiet today on what is usually one of the busiest days of the calendar.
The main shopping thoroughfare in BelfastThe main shopping thoroughfare in Belfast
The main shopping thoroughfare in Belfast

Following medical advice for social distancing to slow the spread of Covid-19 St Patrick’s Day took on a sombre air.

Many pubs, restaurants and shops chose to pull their shutters down and those that remained opened experienced trade that was far from roaring.

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City Hall was closed along with the council’s leisure and community centres.

Belfast City Council cancelled its St Patrick’s Day celebrations and city hall was also closedBelfast City Council cancelled its St Patrick’s Day celebrations and city hall was also closed
Belfast City Council cancelled its St Patrick’s Day celebrations and city hall was also closed

Even the normally raucous Holylands area was peaceful in the afternoon though police, who had called on students to suspend parties in light of the pandemic, patrolled the area in case of any antisocial behaviour.

Almost every St Patrick’s Day parade in Northern Ireland and the Republic had been cancelled.

However, one small religious parade took place at Saul, Co Down, where social distancing was observed.

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Catholic primate Archbishop Eamon Martin celebrated a live-streamed Mass service at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, during which he urged an “outpouring of the works of mercy towards the sick and vulnerable, and for a spirit of generosity and self-sacrifice, compassion and charity in Ireland, and across the world”.

Police patrol an eerily quiet HolylandsPolice patrol an eerily quiet Holylands
Police patrol an eerily quiet Holylands

Meanwhile, the annual global greening initiative in which famous buildings around the world are lit up to mark St Patrick’s Day continued, including Madison Square Garden in New York, City Hall in Bangkok, the Palace Bridge in St Petersburg, the London Eye, Burj al Arab, Niagara Falls and the Welcome sign in Las Vegas.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “We hope our Global Greening will bring a little positivity and hope to people everywhere and remind them that, if we all do the right thing now by following advice of our medical experts, this crisis will pass.

“We would like to extend our support and solidarity to everyone affected by Covid-19, especially workers in the hospitality sector.”