Some Mummers flouted Philadelphia rules, canceling their annual New Year’s Day parade, yet took to the streets on Friday, many without masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
At least two groups of Mummers, totaling a few hundred people, marched across southern Philadelphia on Friday morning, dressed in their typical colorful costumes, dancing and singing as they walked. Some held up signs condemning Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who in July last year canceled the parade and some other important events to curb COVID-19 infections.
The cancellations were made in accordance with public health recommendations to limit large crowds, which are known to transmit the deadly disease.
On social media, some other Mummers asked their colleagues to respect the cancellation of the parade, but that did not stop some of them from breaking the rules. One of the defiant Mummers held up a sign that said: “Tradition, not tyranny”.
Philadelphia Police Department officials monitored the protesters from a distance, but did not try to disperse the crowd.
“… it is the city’s policy to avoid unnecessary clashes in the enforcement of its COVID-19 emergency orders,” a city spokeswoman told NBC10.
Friday’s protesters included some people wearing masks, but most did not. Masks – along with social detachment and other public health measures – have become an important tool to combat COVID-19.
They were ordered not to, but a group of Mummers without a mask went to 2 Street on New Year’s Day. Some said they were protecting a Philadelphia tradition; others said they were protesting the closure of public events by Mayor Kenney. Stephania Jimenez reports from NBC10.
Asked about the lack of masks, a Mummer told NBC10: “You don’t need a mask because it isn’t real.”
The coronavirus, however, is very real and deadly.
He had killed about 347,000 people in the U.S. as of Friday, according to NBC News’ COVID-19 tracker. Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines, it will take months for the country to inoculate enough people to beat the virus, and experts recommend continued caution, especially when a new, more contagious variant of the virus emerges.
The city spokeswoman recalled that those who flock to large crowds – regardless of the type of event – must get tested five to seven days later, stay away from other people for 10 days and continue to monitor the symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days.
The Mummers Parade marked the beginning of the new year in Philadelphia for more than a century. However, in recent years, Mummers have had trouble getting rid of the bad reputation caused by repeated racist and insensitive behavior by some members.
Last year, a group of Mummers was expelled from the parade because at least one member marched down South Broad Street with a black face. In 2016, a group of Mummers sneered at Caitlyn Jenner, while another painted her face brown and wore ponchos and sombreros, or tacos.
Repeated offensive acts prompted Kenney last year to urge Mummer leaders to provide better supervision or to risk the city by pulling support for the parade. Councilor Jamie Gauthier said last year that the Mummers’ parade should be overhauled and replaced by a new tradition that celebrates the cultures of people in the city.