NorthPark Center Postpones Chinese New Year Celebration
As a strain of coronavirus continues to create crisis levels in China, NorthPark Center and the Crow Museum of Asian Art of the University of Texas at Dallas have opted to postpone a Chinese New Year festival slated for this weekend.
The event, which was to be held Feb. 1, would have featured dragon and lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, bian lian face mask changing, as well as opportunities for attendees to try Chinese calligraphy, noodle pulling, decorating lucky red envelopes, and classical concerts by the Beijing Opera and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra Quartet.
“Mindful of the current and evolving health crisis in China, and aligned with other communities across the nation, the Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas and NorthPark Center have decided to postpone the planned celebrations for Saturday’s Chinese New Year Festival,” organizers said in a statement. “Our goal has always been to deliver a wonderfully inclusive, family-friendly event that showcases and elevates Asian cultures.”
“We look forward to collaborating on future festivals that will be enjoyed by visitors from North Texas and beyond.”
The Centers for Disease Control said the strain affecting China is a novel, or new, coronavirus strain.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China,” the agency said. “Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City. Additional cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including the United States.”
Tuesday, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport announced that it was one of 20 U.S. airports the CDC has identified for further monitoring and traveler education efforts.
“A team of public health professionals from the CDC will execute the monitoring program as soon as their team is in place,” airport officials said. “DFW Airport Public Safety is trained and prepared to support the CDC and the Tarrant County Public Health Department if monitoring efforts require a coordinated response.”
So far there are no coronavirus cases in Texas, but there are six confirmed cases so far in the U.S.
