The popular San Gejtanu Sunday march, which every August draws crowds of thousands to Ħamrun, has been cancelled.
Members of the two band clubs that celebrate the feast met on Wednesday to decide whether to put off the march as Malta’s number of active coronavirus cases soared to 112.
The feast is one of the most popular in the country, as people gather from across the islands and abroad to watch the two rival band clubs’ face-off.
But in the last few days a spike in COVID-19 cases has led to calls for a ban on mass events from physicians and employers among others.
Ħamrun’s rival St Joseph and the St Gaetan band clubs last week decided to cancel the celebrations throughout the festa week and hold just one Sunday morning march, known as Marċ tal-Brijju.
Sources said the decision to put off the marches altogether followed public concern, while it was also proving logistically difficult to convince all band members to participate in the march, as some feared for their safety.
In a statement following the meeting, the two clubs said that it was a hard and unpopular decision, however, they could not shoulder responsibility for the safety of thousands of festa-goers.
The clubs have not yet decided whether to cancel indoor celebrations.
San Gejtanu’s feast was highlighted in the US when it was reported that former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was a fan and always made sure that his visits to Malta, where his paternal family is from, coincided with the much acclaimed Marċ tal-Brijju.
Some feasts go ahead, others cancelled
Earlier in June, when the government lifted COVID-19 measures, the Church said that village feasts will this year still be limited to Mass and a pilgrimage.
However, as summer rolled on, feast enthusiasts were granted a police permit to hold marches.
And as several feared, some of the new COVID-19 cases started being linked to feast celebrations. Out of the 12 new patients announced on Wednesday, five attended the Santa Venera festa last week.
Apart from San Gejtanu, upcoming popular feasts are San Lawrenz in Vittoriosa and Santa Marija in various villages including Mosta and Mqabba.
Sliema's San Girgor band club has also announced it will be putting off celebrations.
“In view of the recent spread of COVID-19 and following discussions with the authorities, we have decided to cancel this year’s feast,” the club said on Facebook, adding that it was prioritising the health and safety of its members and parishioners.