Mayor Michael Hancock said Tuesday the city will cancel the Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for Saturday over concerns about the new coronavirus.
A release from Hancock's office said the decision was made jointly with Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee after discussing with public health officials. Just yesterday, Hancock and organizers said the parade was still on despite concerns over COVID-19. Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on Tuesday.
Hancock issued a joint statement with Theresa Melaragno, President of the Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee:
"The health and safety of parade participants and attendees is our highest priority every year, and the call to cancel the 2020 parade was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing our part to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 to those who join us every year to celebrate this annual tradition," the joint statement read. "We thank the parade sponsors, participants and hundreds of volunteers who put in countless hours of their time to celebrate our city and our Irish heritage."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
