Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show canceled due to coronavirus concerns

The Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show has been canceled as a result of coronavirus concerns.

Officials said the event, which started March 6 and was scheduled to run through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, was halted in response to guidelines issued by the Allegheny County Health Department.

Earlier in the day, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto declared a state of emergency for the city and prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people.

“The Convention Center management and staff rose to the challenge of maintaining recommended precautions until the threat of the coronavirus was determined by the Allegheny County Health Department to be beyond those measures. We recognize that many residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania did not have the opportunity to visit the Show this year, but hope to see you next year — at our 40th anniversary — March 5 through 14, 2021,” John DeSantis, executive director and founder of the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, said Friday night in a statement.

Duquesne Light, the title sponsor of the show, on Thursday pulled its employees from the event to limit potential exposure to the coronavirus.

DeSantis, at the time, said the show would continue.

Allegheny Health Network followed suit Friday morning and removed its employees from the show.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people with respiratory symptoms refrain from attending mass gatherings or large community events. Symptoms of covid-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Health experts have discouraged the elderly or people with failing health from attending large gatherings.