As the spread of the coronavirus reached global pandemic status on Wednesday, some of the most famous American institutions and companies announced dramatic operational changes. That ranged from Harvard University advising students not to return to college after spring break begins this weekend, and then taking all classes online, to Google telling all its employees in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa to work from home until at least 10 April.

Seattle announced it would close all its public schools for two weeks from Thursday, the first large city in the US to shut down its school system, which will affect almost 50,000 children at more than 100 schools.

Chicago joined the ranks of cities around the world by scrapping its St Patrick’s day parade.

The World Health Organization’s confirmation of a pandemic reinforced what many experts in the US had been saying for some time – urging vulnerable populations to stay home and avoid unnecessary social gatherings.

In the US, the number of confirmed cases reached nearly 1,100 as of Wednesday afternoon. As the death toll climbed to more than 31 by midday, US officials warned this was only the beginning of the disease’s spread.

With such grim projections combined with public fears, businesses, cities, schools and companies all across America are preparing for a potential shutdown. Here are some of the ways.

Education

More than 1,000 schools are closed in the US due to the outbreak, which even before Seattle’s news was affecting more than 775,000 students nationwide, an Education Week interactive map shows. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are more than 132,000 public and private schools in the country, totaling nearly 51 million students.

Colleges and universities continue to prepare for potential outbreaks among their student populations, especially those living in campus dormitories. As many schools are on spring break, or will be this weekend, some – including Harvard University, New York University and the University of Maryland – announced transitions to online learning, following earlier moves at some colleges in Washington and California.

Labor

As Wall Street braces for the financial impact of slowing markets, businesses across the country grappled with balancing productivity with employee safety.

Condé Nast and Hearst are among several media powerhouses shutting down offices due to the coronavirus. Condé Nast instructed staff to work from home through the end of the month after an employee was suspected of contracting it.

Starbucks announced on Wednesday it would be offering “catastrophe pay” to its employees during the coronavirus outbreak. The support will include paid leave and mental health resources in the event of prolonged shutdowns or illness.

“Starbucks partners who are sick or need to be quarantined won’t have to choose between working or taking care of themselves,” said Rossann williams, a Starbucks executive.

Travelers

The slowdown is hammering the travel industry, including one of south Florida’s largest contributors to tourism: cruises. US state department officials over the weekend warned all US citizens, especially those with underlying health conditions, against cruise travel.

Several cruise liners announced plans to dramatically scale back operations, tighten travel restrictions or refund customers for forthcoming sailings.

However, according to a Miami New Times report involving leaked emails, employees of the Norwegian Cruise Line revealed some managers had pressured sales staff to lie to customers about the coronavirus in an attempt to protect the company’s bookings.

One phenomenon that emerged from the travel slowdown was increased travel purchases, particularly thanks to young Americans taking advantage of travel discounts.

However, some airlines have announced plans to cut planned routes. The news comes as the TSA confirmed three employees had tested positive for the virus in San Jose.

Public gatherings

In Washington DC the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci, who is also a key member of the Trump administration tackling the response to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, urged more aggressive approaches to curbing the spread of the virus.

“We have to essentially assume that we are going to get hit,” he said. “That’s why we talk about making mitigation and containment in a much more vigorous way.”

New York ordered up to 200 national guard troops to deploy in New Rochelle, a large suburban enclave just outside New York City, on Thursday.

Meanwhile in Washington state, in the north-west, Governor Jay Inslee announced a ban on events of more than 250 people in three counties, including where Seattle is located. San Francisco is prohibiting events where 1,000 people or more will gather in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Chicago’s decision to scrap its St Patrick’s day parade will be a blow for businesses in the city that are always packed out with revellers for the Irish community’s annual celebration. Dublin, Boston and Denver have also cancelled their parades although New York has still not followed suit.

Entertainment

Movie theaters, sporting events, concert venues and many more entertainment companies are shuttering businesses or limiting operations to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Some production companies are even postponing movie premieres scheduled for the spring.

The SXSW tech conference and Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, have both announced they will cancel their gatherings for 2020, while the Coachella music festival was postponed until October.