The Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which was set for Saturday, March 14 and was expected to draw a crowd of about 125,000 people to a two-mile stretch of Greenville Ave., has been canceled amid rising concerns over COVID-19 infections in North Texas.

Calling the decision to cancel the annual party “the correct and responsible decision,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said, “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. 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. An event of this scale, without adequate public health protections, cannot be allowed to occur at this time. Our primary concern is the health, safety, and welfare of our residents, and we will continue to take action accordingly,” according to CBSDFW.com.

As of last report, three COVID-19 cases have been reported in Collin County, two in Dallas County, one in Tarrant County and one in Johnson County.

— Tammye Nash