Blackhawk Church in Middleton has canceled its sixth annual Chinese New Year event amid growing concerns over a respiratory virus that originated in Wuhan, China, and may have sickened dozens in the U.S.
The event celebrating the Chinese New Year is put on by the Blackhawk Chinese Ministry, a congregation of Chinese-speaking people under the umbrella of Blackhawk Church. Charles Huang, the Chinese ministry’s pastor, said the event was canceled as a “precautionary action” because several members of the congregation often travel back and forth to China, where authorities say the virus has killed at least 26 people and sickened at least 800.