The 121st annual Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday afternoon will go on in Chinatown and surrounding cities that cancelled their celebrations amid coronavirus fears are more than welcome to attend.
The Golden Dragon Parade is one of Los Angeles’ oldest traditions and celebrates the Lunar New Year.
"Chinese New Year is the equivalent of Christmas, and cancelling Christmas is something that for an American is inconceivable," Alvin Huang, board member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in LA, said.
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Officials have made it clear that the coronavirus poses "no immediate threat to the public, in terms of LA County," Dr. Muntu Davis of the LA County Department of Public Health said. Still, other celebrations have been canceled due to the global health scare. The city of Alhambra canceled their Lunar New Year Celebration due to coronavirus fears, City News Service said.
In the Bay Area, a man returned from China and tested positive for the virus. Local, state and national health officials scrambled to retrace his steps since landing at the San Jose airport on Jan. 24.
"Our preliminary investigation indicates that he came into contact with very few individuals after returning home," Dr. Sara Cody, of the Santa Clara Department of Public Health, said.
In the meantime, the quarantine continues for around 200 passengers that landed on March Air Force Base from China.
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We are trying to set up a way so they can watch the big game on Sunday. Somebody asked for beer and wings," Dr. Cameron Kaiser of the Riverside County Department of Public Health said. "We'll see what we can do."
Although no one is showing any symptoms while under quarantine, there are questions about the virus' incubation period and how long it could last.
"We don't have a good idea of how it spreads, who can spread it very easily," Kaiser added.
Public health officials have said that the flu is a bigger threat in the United States than coronavirus. So this sunny Saturday, the Golden Dragon Parade promised to overshadow any worry.
"We want to bring all the community together," Kevin Chen, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, said.
