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COVID-19 may claim its latest victim: the tradition-rich New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Officials have said it's likely the parade, which was scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, will be canceled due to concerns of coronavirus, which has rapidly been spreading throughout New York.
The parade has been held every year since 1762.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had said on Wednesday, March 11 that he would leave the decision to parade organizers and local officials.
“I’m speaking to parade organizers and the people who are involved to see what they say,” Cuomo said on Wednesday afternoon. “You have to look at the situation in each locale because you do have very different situations throughout the state.
“Why would you risk bringing thousands of people together knowing that this is a virus that easily spreads? And the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the great convening spots of a large number of people.”
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says he has "real concerns" about holding the parade.
Globally, as of Wednesday, there have been 121,503 confirmed coronavirus cases, which resulted in 4,383 deaths. The total in the United States has topped 1,000, reaching 1,016 positive cases, with more than 150 in New York.
New York has been among the hardest-hit states in the country, with 212 confirmed cases of COVID-19, second behind only Washington state’s 279 cases.
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