The Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-Essex has a lot of concerns about the Ford Fireworks taking place at the end of August.
The Ford Fireworks, regularly scheduled for the end of June, were rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parade Company announced Wednesday that it would be hosting a TV only fireworks display on August 31, 2020.
Currently, any type of congregation or planned event with more than five people is strictly prohibited by the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Dr. Wajid Ahmed said it is too early to determine what the situation will be like in August.
"It just makes me nervous when people are thinking about it and events like these can really trigger what we are calling a second wave even locally," said Ahmed. "We know even in 1918, 1919 the Spanish flu the second wave was much more deadlier and infected many more people and the whole reason was people came out and they celebrated and they felt that everything was gone and they can meet and that really triggered a big wave with more cases and more deaths.
Dr. Ahmed is encouraging everyone to watch the fireworks from their home if they do move forward in August.
"This is a different time, this is an unprecedented time and I think we need to be careful in how we are behaving and acting in the community. It's everyone's responsibility to be part of that and reduce the spread," said Ahmed.
The City of Detroit said it will make Hart Plaza and other public viewing areas off-limits to viewers on the night of the fireworks. The City of Windsor has not announced a plan for the evening.