With parades cancelled, here's how Irish people are celebrating St Patrick's Day instead
On one of the biggest days of tourism for Ireland, St. Patrick’s day celebrations have been cancelled in Ireland and around the world in an effort to slow the spread of the global outbreak.
Even so, this has not stopped revellers from dressing in green and showing their love for Ireland’s patron saint.
Some joked about how social distancing would make usual St Patrick’s Day practices – like parades and drinking in pubs – impossible.
Others made the best of the situation and created their own parades:
There is even a plan to have a large virtual parade throughout the day, using the hashtag #TwitterParade:
Guinness, a classic St Patrick’s day beer, posted a video saying that while they know things feel different this year, "Don’t worry, we'll march again."
It says:
Be good to one another, celebrate safely
The Irish minister for health Simon Harris said on Twitter:
This St Patrick’s Day is so different...But it’s a day to remember our best qualities -resilience, kindness, community focused.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said it could be expected there will be 15,000 confirmed cases by the end of March, as such schools and colleges will be closed until the end of the month.
Also, pubs and clubs in Ireland have been shut down until further notice.
We're glad to see people be resourceful in these trying times!