The Remembrance Day ceremony in Nanaimo usually attracts 3,000 to 5,000 people, but not amid a pandemic.
The ceremony will be held at the Cenotaph (Dallas Square Park), but there is no parade, the public isn’t allowed to attend and the Royal Canadian Legion branches will be closed.
Lew Forth is the President of the Mount Benson branch and he said it’s disappointing that the veterans can’t get together this year.
“The legion branches themselves will be closed on Remembrance Day which is disappointing because this is usually our big day with the legion, where we get to have the veterans come in and socialize and basically just get together and remember,” said Forth.
Forth said veterans are the most at-risk demographic for contracting COVID-19 and the surge in cases has increased that risk.
“Because of the increase in COVID cases in the province right now, for safety sake, when you consider the demographics of our organization, you know, they’re all older people,” said Forth. “They’re in that situation where they’re likely to be able to catch it and if they do it is going to be devastating and we’re just not going to take a chance on that.”
Forth encourages the public to participate in two minutes of silence at 11 am (Wednesday).
The small ceremony will be broadcast on Shaw channel 4 from 10:30 to 11:30 am.
