Paris’s Chinese residents have canceled celebrations planned to mark the Lunar New Year because of concerns over a mysterious illness that was first reported in Wuhan, China.
The illness, known as coronavirus, has killed 56 people and infected nearly 2,000 others in China. The country has shut down most travel into, out of, and around the city of Wuhan, which has a population of about 11 million, and set up checkpoints to test people for the virus. Cases of the virus have been reported across the world in countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
“I have met with the Chinese community in Paris. They are very emotional and concerned, and they have decided to cancel the parade that was scheduled for this afternoon at Place de la Republique,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said Sunday, according to Reuters. “They are really not in a mood to party now.”
Chinese associations in Paris canceled Lunar New Year festivals over fears of exposing thousands more people to the virus and to support areas in China where most of the infections and all of the fatalities are located.
The U.S. State Department plans to evacuate American diplomats, embassy employees, and some U.S. citizens from Wuhan. The government plans to charter a flight on Tuesday to fly 230 people out of the disease hotbed to San Francisco.
About 11,000 Americans are living in and around Wuhan, and the U.S. Embassy in the city is offering to help each person arrange plans to move out of the city.
Three people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of coronavirus, one each in California, Illinois, and Washington state.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that his government will evacuate all Japanese citizens who want to flee from Wuhan to Japan.
