Milwaukee and 10 other Milwaukee County municipalities ordered bars and restaurants to close effective 2:01 a.m. Tuesday, except for carryout, delivery and curbside service — an effort of elected and health officials to head off a growing number of coronavirus cases.

The order, which builds on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' directive prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people, did not have an end date.

The remaining municipalities in the county were expected to follow suit within the next 24 hours, ultimately closing down establishments countywide.

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Tuesday’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration was of particular concern to members of the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council, which includes the mayor, village president or administrator from each of the county’s 19 municipalities.

The group held an emergency meeting Monday evening via phone; the only municipalities not represented were Greendale and River Hills.

They expressed concerns about the large groups that gather to celebrate the holiday, which health officials expect will cause the number of coronavirus cases in the county to increase.

Some also expressed concerns about the effect on businesses that had planned to be open for the popular going-out holiday. Some executives also wanted to a chance to update their village boards or common councils before health commissioners issued the orders.

In addition to Milwaukee, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, Cudahy and the seven North Shore communities of Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay issued orders to close establishments.

City and county health officials said at a press conference Monday evening outside the county courthouse that there were nine cases in Milwaukee and 13 in the county as a whole.

Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said the county has seen "community spread," meaning people catching coronavirus from other people within the community, not from people who traveled abroad to areas where coronavirus has been active.

About 180 cases are under investigation in the county.

Like other officials, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele urged people to stay away from each other to limit the spread of the disease.

Pandemics end by people isolating from each other, he said, adding that the degree to which the community is disciplined about following this advice is the difference between lives lost and lives saved.

Kowalik said officials are very concerned about the number of hospital beds, saying the community will be in bad shape if the number of cases surges.

Even as stricter measures are being implemented to prevent the virus from spreading further, state officials did not appear to be getting ready to postpone the April 7 election.

Barrett urged residents to vote early and absentee to protect public health.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said all elected officials' decisions must be driven by saving lives.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.