ATLANTA — Officials in Savannah, Georgia, have called off the city’s 196-year-old St. Patrick’s Day parade amid concerns about the new coronavirus.
Mayor Van Johnson said Wednesday the decision was made to protect public health, but he acknowledged it would be unpopular with many.
The parade has ballooned into a massive street party that’s Savannah’s most profitable tourism draw.
The number of people in Georgia testing positive for COVID-19 jumped to 31 on Wednesday, though some tests have yet to be confirmed by the CDC.
At the Georgia Capitol, Gov. Brian Kemp took the extraordinary step of asking state lawmakers to approve $100 million in additional funding to help the state combat the virus.
