PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Hundreds of people lined the streets of Pawtucket Saturday afternoon for the 38th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, with extra precautions in place because of the coronavirus concerns.

After discussing the matter with several officials from the city, including the city’s Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Public Safety and the school department, the St. Patrick’s Day Committee said the parade would goes as planned.

The city provided extra sanitizing stations during the event and had volunteers from the EMA distributing awareness flyers.

The parade kicked off near McCoy Stadium at noon, traveled through downtown and ended in front of City Hall.

Each year, the parade draws marching bands from across our area, Irish musicians and dancers, police groups and state and local politicians.

The parade was preceded by the first 5K road race in the 2020 Tour de Patrick.