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St. Patrick's Day festivities suspended in Portland

City Manager Jennings said he encourages residents to postpone St. Patrick's Day festivities as the city mandates curfew for establishments 'where people gather'

PORTLAND, Maine — On Tuesday, Portland's Old Port was quiet by any standard, let alone for St. Patrick's Day. 

Where there would typically be lines of people, waiting to get inside RiRa's pub or Bull Feeney's, there was no one to be seen.

Commercial Street was flanked by streets upon streets of empty parking spots. 

It's the scene of a city wherein every bar and restaurant is forbidden to be open for the holiday. The city has put a mandatory curfew into effect for all "establishments where people gather."

On Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, the curfew spanned from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. the following morning. 

The following day, the curfew changes. On Wednesday, March 18, the curfew runs daily from 8:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. It will be in place until Sunday, March 22, at 2 a.m.

“This is a time of shared sacrifice for all of us, and we must be willing to alter our daily lives for now,” Portland City Manager Jon Jennings said in a statement. “We need everyone to take COVID-19 very seriously in order to limit community spread in the greater Portland area and across the state."

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While acknowledging it's a necessary sacrifice, Andy's Old Port Pub owner John Lowell said canceling festivities hurts businesses like his.

"It’s certainly a big loss," said Lowell. "This is a day that could probably have covered two weeks of expenses for us."

Not only is it a fiscal blow, but Lowell said it's an emotional one too.

"Last year was fantastic. People were standing up at their stools and singing and it was just one of those magical pub days when it went from morning to night. It's a shame to miss it, it's a really special time."

With pubs closed, liquor stores were busy all day.

Old Port Spirits manager Kevin Casey said, "Usually it’s a bar holiday and people go out. But since there are no bars open today, people are coming in and stocking up and taking it home. So it’s actually been busier than usual for us."

Through the app Drizzly, Casey said Old Port Spirits was sending out dozens of home deliveries throughout the day as well. 

Many restaurants, bars, and pubs will still remain open for take-out options during the mandated curfew. 

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

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