“In the interest of our community health and well being ... we have to postpone the 35th annual Irish Festival until a later date. It breaks our heart for this to happen, but we must keep in mind that the purpose of the festival is to benefit our community and to celebrate our heritage. This is the right choice at this time. We are sorry for the inconvenience and we pray for the health of anyone affected by this situation,” organizers said in a statement posted to their Facebook page.

The Irish Festival was scheduled for March 21-22 and typically draws 15,000 to 20,000 people over the two days.

Shortly before noon on Thursday, Shamrock the Block, which was scheduled for Saturday on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, also announced that it would be postponing the popular street festival.

“After speaking with the Mayor directly, we have decided that it is in all our interests to postpone Shamrock The Block for now,” said Mike Murphy, a spokesperson for Three One One Productions, which hosts the event.

Shamrock the Block typically draws 45,000 people. Three One One Productions plans to reschedule the festival but had not decided when as of press time.