RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — The City of Riviera Beach has postponed its Martin Luther King Jr. parade slated for next week due to a spike in COVID-19 cases countywide.
The city said the parade that was scheduled for Jan. 15 will likely be postponed until Black History Month in February or around the Juneteenth holiday if cases drop.
The decision was made by the city council during its regular meeting Wednesday.
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“I’m in favor of postponing the parade because of the sheer number of COVID cases that we have, not just in the City of Riviera Beach in terms of employees, but in Palm Beach County as a whole,” Council Chairwoman Shirley Lanier said. “Having 2,000 or 3,000 people in close proximity is just not something that we should take a chance on.”
According to city leaders, approximately 50 city employees are either quarantined or sick with COVID-19, and they are all expected to make a full recovery.
In Palm Beach County, 24,488 COVID-19 cases were reported during the week of Dec. 24 to Dec. 30 with a countywide positivity rate of 30.6%, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health.
