All Schools in Multiple States Closing Due to Virus

Colleges and universities started shutting down first; K-12 schools are now following. Multiple states in the US will be shuttering all of them for a time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the AP and CNN report:

• In Maryland, all schools will close from Monday until March 27.
• In Ohio, all schools will close from Monday until at least April 3.
• In Kentucky, the governor recommended all public and private schools cease in-person classes for at least two weeks.
• Some schools have closed in many other states even if a statewide closure has not been announced.

Ireland is also closing all its schools and cultural institutions until March 29; France is closing all schools in the country until further notice starting Monday; the Canadian province of Ontario has closed all publicly funded schools from March 14 to April 5; Utah has banned all large gatherings for two weeks; Greece is closing basically everything including playgrounds, courts, theaters, entertainment centers, cinemas, and gyms, for at least two weeks; and Rome is shutting down all its Catholic churches for the first time ever. (Big news on the virus front Thursday in the showbiz and sports worlds, too.)