March 14, 2020 at 11:21 AM EDT - Updated March 14 at 11:27 AM
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) -The Irish Heritage Celebration Committee has made the decision to postpone Tybee Island’s annual Irish Heritage Parade.
The group made a post on their Facebook page early Saturday morning, citing the community’s health and safety as the reason for the cancelation.
Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions said in a statement that a future date for the event would be announced.
In the best interest of the city and the health of the public, the City of Tybee Island and The Irish Heritage Committee have jointly decided to postpone the Tybee Irish Heritage Parade previously scheduled for today. A future date for the event to be announced.
Shirly Sessions, Tybee Island Mayor
A secondstatementfrom Mayor Sessions provided more detail on the cancellation.
“Unfortunately my efforts to get council’s support to withdrawn the permit for the Irish Heritage Parade have been unsuccessful. Although the Governor has now declared a state of emergency, their decision to move forward with the event is unchanged. Because of this last minute declaration, the timing makes it counterproductive to everyone involved to unilaterally invoke emergency powers to withdraw the permit. Due to the circumstances that have evolved, I cannot support or participate in the parade. I will continue to work with the city manager and staff to protect the safety of our residents and visitors, and encourage everyone to be cautious and follow the suggestions of health professionals.”
Mayor Shirley Sessions