As Cities Cancel St. Paddy's Day Parades, One Remains

Chicago on Wednesday canceled this year's St. Patrick's Day parade due to the coronavirus outbreak, joining many other cities around the world in doing so—but not, notably, New York. Despite reports coming out that NYC would be canceling its annual event—the holiday's largest gathering anywhere in the world, with more than 2 million attendees—organizers quickly shot those down, per Fox 29. "At this point in time contrary to the media outlets and social media no decision has been made to cancel the NYC St Patricks Day Parade," organizers tweeted Wednesday. "Please continue to check this page for updates."

"We have received no notice from the authorities about postponement at this point," notes an announcement on the official parade website. "We recommend checking with your local health officials, government, and where appropriate, your personal physician for guidance." That despite the fact that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday, "If you listen to the experts, they would say you should not be having a St. Patrick's Day convening at this time, which I believe makes sense." In addition to Chicago, the AP reports parades have recently been canceled in Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and even Ireland. Many were wondering why NYC hasn't followed suit. Its parade is scheduled for St. Patrick's Day itself, coming up Tuesday. (More coronavirus stories.)