Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told reporters that there are no plans to cancel the Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 20, but that the situation is “fluid” and could change as officials continue to monitor the spread of coronavirus in Massachusetts.
There were eight suspected cases and one confirmed case of infection from the virus in Boston as of Tuesday morning, Walsh said, noting that all nine cases appear to have originated elsewhere and that there is no evidence of “community spread” among the general public in the city.
Walsh said his administration is touch with the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the Boston Marathon, and that he is hopeful the marathon will be able to proceed.
But, the mayor said, he will put public health first.
“The economic impact of the marathon on Boston, I looked at that number yesterday, is about $211 million dollars,” Walsh said. “But the bottom line, my job as mayor and our job as leaders is to make sure people are safe.”
Walsh also defended his decision to cancel the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Asked by a reporter about complaints from businesses along the parade route, Walsh did not mince words in dismissing any such grievances.
“You can't complain about this. It's about public safety, it's about protecting their patrons,” Walsh said.
Businesses along the parade route “have done incredibly well over the last five years,” Walsh added.
“If someone's complaining about it, you're being irresponsible,” Walsh said. “This is not something I did lightly.”
Walsh’s remarks come as cities are beginning to grapple with real economic impacts to local businesses from rising coronavirus concerns. On Monday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new program to give loans to small businesses affected by the virus.
Walsh said he does have sympathy for small businesses around the city generally, and acknowledged that seeing major events canceled will hurt some of them.
“I want our restaurants to be full. I want people to come to our city,” Walsh said. “But we want to make sure people are safe. If we don’t take precautions today it could be far worse tomorrow.”
