March 11, 2020

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Sioux Falls has been canceled to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

The parade, which is organized by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, was scheduled for Saturday.

The decision to cancel the event was made after consulting with city and state officials and reviewing guidelines for mass gatherings issued by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, chamber president and CEO Jeff Griffin said in a statement. As cases of COVID-19 continue to appear across the nation, including the announcement Tuesday that the disease has reached South Dakota, parade organizers wanted to do their part to slow its spread.

“It was certainly not an easy decision to cancel a parade that so many of our citizens look forward to all year – but it is the responsible decision in light of the situation,” Griffin said. “Our greatest priority is the health and welfare of all our citizens.”