Ireland Cancels All St. Patrick’s Day Parades Over Coronavirus Scare

In the midst of the coronavirus scare, St. Patrick’s Day parades across Ireland have been canceled. There have been 24 confirmed cases. 

“Due to the unique nature and scale of the St Patrick’s Day festivities, in terms of size, the mass gathering of local and international travelers, and the continued progression of community transmission in some European countries, along with the emergence of a small number of cases of local transmission in Ireland, the Government has decided that St Patrick’s Day parades, including the Dublin parade, will not proceed,” the government said in a statement. 

Ireland’s largest parade, held in Dublin, was scheduled for March 17. According to the city’s tourism department, the parade attracted an estimated 500,000 last year. 

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Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced cancellations as well as a $492 million aid package for the health service to deal with the impact of COVID-19.