Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) and City of Dallas officials have decided to cancel the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and block party scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2020. The City of Dallas Convention and Event Services is canceling the special event permits for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and block party.
“While our region still has only a few ‘presumptive positive’ COVID-19 cases that appear to be related to travel, we are actively making contingency plans for the spread of this illness,” Mayor Eric Johnson said in a statement, Culture Map reports. “Before we made the final decision, I gathered input from our healthcare leaders and our public health partners, discussed the ramifications for our police and firefighters at the parade; met with Governor Abbott; and reviewed how COVID-19 has spread in other parts of the country and the world.”
It seems as if there have been mixed feelings as to whether the City of Dallas should cancel the parade. One concerned neighbor had even created a petition to cancel the event writing, “I’m concerned about the thousands of people who will be congregating for the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade hosted by The Greenville Avenue Area Business Association and The Navarro Group. I believe that having an event like this is irresponsible amid an outbreak.”
What do you think? Is it necessary or a dramatic gesture?
