Chinese New Year celebrations in Bristol this weekend have been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Bristol Museum, on Queens Road, had been preparing to welcome in the Year of the Rat on February 1 and 2 with performances, stalls, workshops and activities.
But Mayor Marvin Rees said today (January 30): "Our deepest sympathies are with Chinese friends both at home and abroad who have been affected by , and I want to extend my condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
“In solidarity with those affected, and after discussions with members of the Chinese community in Bristol, we have decided to cancel our scheduled Chinese New Year celebrations due to take place this weekend at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
"We thank everyone who was scheduled to perform at the event.”
The virus broke out in China earlier this month and has caused 170 deaths, spreading to 15 other countries.
More than 7,700 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in China.
British nationals trapped at the centre of the outbreak, Wuhan, will return home on tomorrow, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said.
A flight carrying 200 Britons is expected to land at RAF Brize Norton.
As of yesterday, some 161 tests had been carried out on people in the UK, all with negative results.
There was a scare in Bristol on January 22, when Patchway and Trinity Road stations were closed for five hours.
The quarantines came after concerns a woman arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence may have contracted coronavirus.
The concerns followed disclosures the woman made to officers but the fears proved to be unfounded.
The 51-year-old woman had been arrested at an address on Surrey Street, St Pauls, on the afternoon of January 22.
A Home Office spokesman said the woman was found to have overstayed her visa and has since been transferred to immigration detention.
