One Savannah business owner says he stands to lose money from not operating during St. Patrick's Day weekend. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Now he's urging the city to cancel its plans, too.

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TONIGHT AT 11. I'M SHANNON ROYSTER. AND I'M DALE JULIN. ITS THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION ACROSS THE WORLD... THE RAPIDLY SPREADING CORONAVIRUS.... OR COVID-19. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE MORE THAN 110-THOUSAND CASES OF THE VIRUS WORLDWIDE - - AND MORE THAN 600 HERE IN THE U- S. HERE ARE THE LATEST NUMBERS IN GEORGIA. THE "C-D-C" HAS CONFIRMED SIX CASES OF THE VIRUS IN THE STATE. THERE ARE ALSO SEVEN PRESUMPTIVE POSITIVE CASES -- MEANING THEY HAVE TESTED POSITIVE BUT THE RESULTS HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE "C-D-C". IN SOUTH CAROLINA...THE "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL" SAYS...THERE ARE SEVEN PRESUMPTIVE POSITIVE CASES IN THE STATE. TWO OF THOSE CASES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED THROUGH FURTHER TESTING. THIS IS A MAP OF REPORTED CORONAVIRUS CASES ACROSS THE U-S. STATES HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE HAVE REPORTED BETWEEN ONE AND FIVE CASES. GREEN STATES HAVE SIX TO 20 CASES. ORANGE STATES HAVE 21 TO 50 AND RED STATES HAVE REPORTED BETWEEN 100 AND 200 CASES. AND CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS HAVE COME TO SAVANNAH .. JUST DAYS BEFORE ST. PATRICK'S DAY FESTIVITIES KICK OFF. TONIGHT IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, WE'RE HEARING FROM THE FIRST LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER TO SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS DUE TO THE THREAT OF COVID-19. WJCL'S STEPHEN MOODY JOINS US LIVE WITH MORE ON WHY HE SAYS THE CITY SHOULD DO THE SAME. STEPHEN? WE ARE GETTING SO CLOSE TO ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN THE CITY OF SAVANNAH. AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE, YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS HOLIDAY. BUT NOW SOME ARE SAYING THE CITY SHOULD POSTPONE THIS YEAR'S EVENTS. PATRICK MCDONALD RUNS SAVANNAH GHOSTWALKER TOURS. HE RUNS TOURS JUST LIKE THIS OF 15 PEOPLE NEARLY EVERY NIGHT HERE DOWNTOWN. HE SENT AN EMAIL TO CITY LEADERS MONDAY URGING THEM TO CANCEL THIS YEAR'S ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE. PATRICK MCDONALD ÷ OWNER, SAVANNAH GHOSTWALKER TOURS "WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS THAT IT TAKES ONLY ONE PERSON COMING HERE, A CARRIER WITH IT COULD INFECT A VERY LARGE POPULATION HERE IN THE CITY OF SAVANNAH. SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY EXPOSURE TO IT HERE IN DOWNTOWN SAVANNAH". MCDONALD SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO COME OFF AS AN ALARMIST, BUT HE SAYS HE RECOGNIZES THIS THREAT FOR WHAT IT IS. PATRICK MCDONALD ÷ OWNER, SAVANNAH GHOSTWALKER TOURS "YOU'RE TAKING YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN HANDS COMING DOWN HERE AND PARTICIPATING IN A LARGE-SCALE EVENT WHERE THERE IS POTENTIAL DANGER TO BE EXPOSED TO THIS VIRUS. IT COULD BE DAYS UNTIL YOU'RE DIAGNOSED WITH IT. YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE IT UNTIL AFTER YOU LEAVE. AND THEN, YOU TAKE IT SOME PLACE ELSE AND INFECT YOUR FAMILY". AND HE'S STANDING BEHIND HIS BELIEFS. FROM FRIDAY MARCH 13TH TO FEBRUARY 18TH, HE'LL STOP BUSINESS. HE'S SET TO LOSE MONEY BY DOING SO, BUT HE'S

Advertisement Savannah business owner closes due to Coronavirus, urges city to cancel St. Patrick's Day events One Savannah business owner says he stands to lose money from not operating during St. Patrick's Day weekend. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Now he's urging the city to cancel its plans, too. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Above video: Savannah business owner closes shop due to CoronavirusWe are getting close to St. Patrick’s Day in the city of Savannah. And for those who have been here for a while, you understand the importance of this holiday. But now some are saying the city should postpone this year’s events. Patrick McDonald runs Savannah Ghostwalker Tours. He runs tours just like this of 15 people nearly every night here downtown. He sent an email to city leaders Monday urging them to cancel this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.“What I’m concerned about is that it takes only one person coming here, a carrier with it could infect a very large population here in the city of Savannah. So far, we’ve been very lucky that we have not had any exposure to it here in downtown Savannah,” said McDonald.Related: Should Savannah cancel St. Patrick's Day plans due to the Coronavirus? Mayor Johnson respondsMcDonald says he doesn’t want to come off as an alarmist, but he says he recognizes this threat for what it is. “You’re taking your life in your own hands coming down here and participating in a large-scale event where there is potential danger to be exposed to this virus. It could be days until you’re diagnosed with it. You may not even know that you have it until after you leave. And then, you take it some place else and infect your family,” said McDonald.And he’s standing behind his beliefs. From Friday March 13thto March 18th, he’ll stop business. He’s set to lose money by doing so, but he’s only concerned with the safety of himself, and his customers. Related: South Carolina confirms 7 Coronavirus cases, 5 stemming from the same woman“It’s a thousand, a couple thousand dollars in a week’s time. But to me, I could always make that money back at another time during the year. I would rather have people survive and come later on, than to not survive,” said McDonald.McDonald says even with the idea of losing money, he wouldn’t lose a much as other businesses if they decided to do the same thing. As of Monday night, there are no plans to cancel any activities in Savannah at this time. Below video: Coronavirus concerns impacting local student exchange programs