Since 1971, Memorial Day has been honored on the final Monday of May to commemorate our fallen soldiers. Last year, practically all Memorial Day events were canceled due to the spread of COVID-19. While vaccinations have been administered, how is the spread and variations of the virus still affecting the events of this year’s Memorial Day?

“If you are vaccinated, you are protected and can enjoy your Memorial Day”, says CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. “If you are not vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you, and you remain at risk for infection. You still need to mask and take other precautions”.

Similar to the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade last year, Memorial Day parades will heavily restrict the number of people allowed to attend. Other parades such as the Queens Parade on Northern Blvd will be completely closed. Surely, all participants will have to wear their mask while they march, but social distancing guidlines have become much more flexible. It should also be noted that the NYC(?) Memorial Day parade will still be occuring at 8:30 AM

In terms of the Stock Market, according to the S&P, 31 out of 50 gains have been reported each Memorial Day, making it’s average percentage change 0.5%. The Dow has reported 27 out of 50 gains, making it’s average percentage 0.4%. U.S equities have been quite neutral with both indexes rising an average of 0.7%. The stock market will be unaffected this Memorial Day

Mail deliveries and banks will be closed due to observance of the holiday. Grocery store hours will also be treated as such and may close at an earlier time. COVID may still be a risk, but it is not completely shutting down our country anymore and, rest assured, if everybody gets vaccinated and stays safe, we will officially return to normalcy soon!