New York postpones St. Patrick's Day parade amid coronavirus pandemic

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The St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City.

• New York City's annual St. Patrick's Day parade has been postponed amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
• "While I know the parade organizers did not make this decision lightly, public health experts agree that one of the most effective ways to contain the spread of the virus is to limit large gatherings and close contacts," Cuomo said.
• Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York over the weekend as the number of confirmed cases in the state skyrocketed following increased testing.
• On Wednesday evening, after the World Health Organization officially classified the novel coronavirus as a pandemic, President Donald Trump announced that the US will ban all travel from Europe by non-US citizens.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that New York City's annual St. Patrick's Day parade will be postponed as the US grapples with a global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"While I know the parade organizers did not make this decision lightly, public health experts agree that one of the most effective ways to contain the spread of the virus is to limit large gatherings and close contacts," Cuomo said. "And I applaud the parade's leadership for working cooperatively with us."

The announcement came after Chicago and Boston canceled their respective St. Patrick's Day celebrations. On Monday, Ireland canceled parades nationwide over concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York over the weekend as the number of confirmed cases in the state surged following increased testing.

Officials announced the first case of coronavirus in New York on March 1. Since then, 212 more people have tested positive for the illness. Westchester County, located just north of New York City, became a hotbed for the outbreak after a 50-year-old lawyer from the area contracted the virus and infected dozens more, including his family members and neighbors, before knowing he had the disease.

Other confirmed cases have also cropped up in New York City's boroughs, Long Island, Rockland County, Ulster County, and Saratoga County.

Meanwhile, as of Wednesday evening, at least 1,240 people in 42 states and Washington, D.C., have tested positive for coronavirus, according to The New York Times, and at least 37 patients with the virus have died.

The World Health Organization officially classified coronavirus, which leads to a disease called COVID-19, as a pandemic on Wednesday. More than 125,000 people have been infected across the globe and there have been more than 4,500 deaths.

Financial markets have also plunged as the virus continues to spread and more and more countries implement restrictions on travel and day-to-day work.

On Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump announced that the US will ban all travel from Europe except for the United Kingdom, with the exception of Americans who have been appropriately screened, for thirty days beginning on Friday at midnight.

He added: "These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amounts of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing."

However, the president and the White House scrambled to clarify his comments after the Dow tanked following his announcement.

"Hoping to get the payroll tax cut approved by both Republicans and Democrats, and please remember, very important for all countries & businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe. The restriction stops people not goods," Trump tweeted, contradicting his earlier remarks.

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