You’ll have to find a new way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day this year…
With coronavirus cases on the rise across the UK, difficult decisions are being taken about whether large-scale events should go ahead. Sadly, due to concerns over public health, the annual St Patrick’s Day parade in London has been cancelled this morning. (Featured image: @stpatsdayldn)
Due to take place on Sunday, March 15th, the parade – and the Trafalgar Square celebrations which follow it – were cancelled by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in a Twitter statement.
UPDATE: London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are an annual highlight for many, so I’m incredibly disappointed that this year’s event has had to be cancelled as key performers and parade participants are no longer able to participate due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus.
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) March 13, 2020
2020’s parade would have been the 18th annual parade, which celebrates the contributions and culture of Irish Londoners. London has joined the likes of New York, Chicago, and Dublin in cancelling their celebrations, as the coronavirus outbreak spreads across Europe.
Yesterday, the government announced a change in policy which moves the response from a containment phase to a delay phase. You can read all about that here.