48-yr-old sailboat festival in Iloilo latest casualty of coronavirus

ILOILO CITY–(UPDATE) A 48-year-old boat sailing festival in Iloilo was among the major events called off due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Wednesday (Feb. 5) directed the postponement of the 2020 Paraw Regatta Festival as a precautionary measure against the virus which has spread from China to 23 other countries with 426 deaths including one in the Philippines.

The festival, which has drawn international acclaim and distinction as the oldest and one of the most colorful sailing events in Asia, was scheduled on Feb. 23 to March 1.

Paraw Regatta is famous for the colorful sailboats and the 36.5-km sailing route on the Iloilo Strait between Iloilo City and Guimaras Island.

Treñas said major events set in February will be reset to later dates or when the situation improves in March.

“This is to protect our people especially those prone to the virus,” he said.

“I hope they will understand that we are doing this as a precautionary measure especially because we have Patients Under Investigation (PUI) in our city,” the mayor said.

PUIs are those who have had a history of travel to China but have not shown symptoms of infection.

The Department of Education also on Wednesday postponed the holding of the Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association Meet set on Feb. 15 to 22 in Aklan province also due to concerns over nCoV.

Earlier, the Antique provincial government said it was not sending a delegation to the sports meet as a precautionary measure.

The annual sports competition was supposed to gather at least 6,000 athletes from the six provinces of Western Visayas.

The Department of Health in Western Visayas said there are 10 PUIs in the region as of Feb. 4.

Edited by LZB and TSB