Atlanta, Savannah cancel St. Patrick’s Day parades over coronavirus concerns

ATLANTA — Both Atlanta and Savannah have canceled their St. Patrick’s Day parades and festivals out of an abundance of caution amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Irish Network of Atlanta announced the decision Wednesday afternoon.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade is cancelling this year’s event due to the growing concerns about the COVID – 19 virus. The health and safety of our participants, volunteers and attendees are of the utmost importance to us and we felt this was the only responsible action we could have taken. We hope this mitigation measure will help keep metro Atlanta residents safe,” President Jessica Houghton said.

Less than an hour earlier, Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson announced his city’s parade and festival “will not go on as planned.”

He said the city is still safe right now, but their goal is to limit local cases of COVID-19.

Here’s a full list of coronavirus cancellations and closures announced today.

Coronavirus: Multiple events, concerts canceled due to concerns Coronavirus: Multiple events, concerts canceled due to concerns

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