Coronavirus closures pile up

Every major sports league from the NBA to the MLB has put the brakes on its spring season because of the COVID-19 epidemic. The NCAA announced on Thursday it would cancel all of its championships in every sport, including the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Major League Baseball suspended spring training and delayed opening day by at least two weeks, and the National Hockey League pushed pause on its season indefinitely.

What else was canceled? One after the other, colleges and universities across the country announced they were moving classes online, and many asked students not to return from spring break. A few Washington state public school districts will close for at least two weeks starting Thursday. Several cities, including Chicago, canceled upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parades. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday banned all gatherings of more than 250 people in the entire state for at least four weeks. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of 500 or more in the city, effectively forcing all Broadway theaters to close their doors. California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked people to voluntarily call off events with more than 250 people and to avoid gathering in small spaces. The U.S. Capitol congressional offices will be closed to the public starting Thursday night through at least April 1. As of Thursday afternoon, evening, more than 1,400 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States, and the death toll had reached 38.

Dig deeper: Read Laura Edghill’s report in Schooled about how COVID-19 is affecting U.S. students.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its original posting.