THUNDER BAY — The growing number of neighbourhood vehicle parades to celebrate people's birthdays during the COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
In a social media post Monday, theTBDHU said birthday and other car parades can pose a significant road safety issue.
It said these events also "tend to have people congregating beforehand to prepare."
The TBDHU said it recognizes that parades are being arranged with good intentions, but offered some alternative ways to mark birthdays, including:
- hosting an online dance party with friends
- playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, with virtual loved ones yelling out directions
- spending family time together baking and decorating a cake
- have friends send video messages, skits or songs
A Thunder Bay woman said a recent celebration for her young child that saw close friends and family participate in a drive-by parade, riding in vehicles festooned with colourful signs, balloons, and even a bubble machine, went a long way to making up for the impact of social distancing.
"There's a lot of negative things going around right now, but this is something we'll hold onto for some light for a very long time," she said.
TBDHU issues 'clarification' about birthday parades
After hearing Tuesday from some residents who felt the TBDHU was going too far with its advisory, the health unit posted a clarification on its Facebook page.
"It seems we've happened upon a hot-button issue, and we hear you," the post stated.
The TBDHU is still recommending people first consider alternatives to celebrating birthdays, but added "If you are going to participate in any drive-by birthday greetings, please do so with these three things in mind."
- Refrain from gathering in groups to plan the activity
- Maintain physical distancing from all people outside of your own household
- Be conscious not to obstruct traffic by limiting the number of people and cars involved
