Some Mummers ignored the Philadelphia rules that canceled their annual New Year’s Day parade and took to the streets on Friday anyway, many without face masks intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
At least two Mummers groups of several hundred people in total marched through South Philadelphia on Friday morning, dressed in their quintessentially colorful robes, dancing and singing as they went on. Some held signs denouncing Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who canceled the parade and some other major events last July to fight COVID-19 infections.
The cancellations were made in accordance with public health recommendations to limit large gatherings known to transmit the deadly disease.
On social media, some other Mummers called on their counterparts to stick to the cancellation of the parade, but that didn’t stop a handful of them from ignoring the rules. One of the defiant Mummers held up a sign that read, “Tradition, not tyranny.”
Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department kept an eye on the protesters from afar, but tried not to disperse the crowd.
“… it is the city’s policy to avoid unnecessary confrontation in enforcing the COVID-19 emergency orders,” a city spokeswoman told NBC10.
At Friday’s protesters, some people wore face masks, but most didn’t. The masks – along with social distancing and other public health measures – have become an important tool to combat COVID-19.
They were ordered not to, but a group of maskless Mummers went to 2 Street anyway on New Year’s Day. Some said they were protecting a Philadelphia tradition; others said they protested the closure of public events by Mayor Kenney. Stephania Jimenez of NBC10 reports.
When asked about the lack of masks, a Mummer told NBC10, “You don’t need a mask because it’s not real.”
However, the coronavirus is very real and very deadly.
According to NBC News’ COVID-19 tracker, nearly 347,000 people had died in the US on Friday. Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines, it will take months for the country to vaccinate enough people to defeat the virus, and experts are urging continued caution, especially as a new, more contagious variant of the virus emerges.
The city spokeswoman reminded people that those who gather in large crowds – regardless of the type of event – should be tested five to seven days afterwards, stay away from others for ten days, and keep checking for COVID-19 for 14 days. symptoms.
The Mummers Parade has been ringing in the New Year for Philadelphia for over a century. In recent years, however, Mummers have struggled to shake off a bad reputation caused by repeated racist and insensitive behavior from some members.
Last year, one Mummers group was thrown from the parade because at least one member marched down South Broad Street in blackface. In 2016, one Mummers group made fun of Caitlyn Jenner, while another painted their faces brown and dressed in ponchos and sombreros, or like tacos.
The repeated offensive acts prompted Kenney last year to urge Mummers leaders to monitor more closely or run the risk of the city drawing support for the parade. Councilor Jamie Gauthier said last year that the Mummers parade needs to be revised and replaced with a new tradition that celebrates the cultures of people in the city.