Coronavirus: Nine councils across Australia’s east coast postpone or cancel Lunar New Year
A number of councils have been forced to cancel Lunar New Year celebrations as performers, stallholders and insurance companies pull out due to fears surrounding the deadly coronavirus.
Fairfield
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Nine councils across the east coast of Australia have postponed their Lunar New Year celebrations as coronavirus fears prompt entertainers and stallholders to pull out.
Fairfield Council joined eight other councils across three states when it decided to postpone its Lunar New Year celebrations at an extraordinary meeting held last night.
The February 8 and 9 event typically draws 11,000 people to the suburb of Cabramatta – one of its busiest seasons of the year.
“This is a decision that has not been made lightly,” Mayor Frank Carbone said. “We know how important this event is for our local community but their safety and wellbeing is more important.”
The council made the decision after “a number of performers and sponsors have stated they will not attend … due to the coronavirus and the consequent insurance implications”, minutes from the meeting said, leaving the council with an $8000 to $10,000 bill.
Other councils in NSW, Victoria and Queensland have made the decision to either postpone or cancel their Lunar New Year celebrations, either due to coronavirus concerns or losing the support from the event’s stakeholders.
Bayside Council announced its Lunar New Year festivities in Mascot will not go ahead on January 28 – just three days before it was scheduled to take place.
“Bayside Council cannot guarantee the event would be well-attended if it was to proceed next week,” Mayor Joe Awada said.
“We are in unprecedented times with 2020 starting in a way that has not been previously experienced.
“Our Lunar New Year event is a celebration and one of the most important events on our calendar, however it is just not the right time for us to proceed.”
Four days ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus a public health emergency. The virus spawned in Wuhan, China, where it infected 17,238 people and has so far led to 361 deaths.
There has since been documented cases in 24 countries, including Australia, where four people in NSW have been infected, NSW Health confirmed.
Three of the patients – a 53-year-old male, 35-year-old male and 21-year-old female – have been discharged. A 43-year-old male remains in hospital.
NSW Health said a further 29 cases are being investigated and 170 cases have been cleared.
The virus’ symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, pneumonia.
“Anyone with these symptoms should practise simple hygiene by covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and washing their hands thoroughly,” NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
He stressed the importance of seeing a doctor if symptoms present.
To date, nine councils have postponed or cancelled their Lunar New Year celebrations due to coronavirus concerns. These include seven councils from New South Wales (Bayside, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Inner West, Parramatta, Ryde and Fairfield), one from Victoria (Whitehorse) and one from Queensland (Gold Coast).
Lunar New Year celebrations around the world are reportedly being postponed or cancelled, including in China, Hong Kong, Macau, France and America.