© Julie Carr Smyth Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks at a news conference at the statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOIO) - Gov. Mike DeWine announced several statewide orders that will significantly impact the lives of Ohio residents.

Effective at the end of class on Monday, March 16, all Ohio public and private schools will be closed for three weeks through at least April 3.

Each school will decide if remote and online teaching will be practiced during the three weeks, the Governor said.

Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon told 19 News that the district is ready for the multiple challenges of closing schools for 3 weeks.

“We have up to 15 days of content we can send home or post for students to print at libraries to keep them actively engaged,” Gordon said, “And we have applied for an emergency food program where students could come and pick up sacked breakfast and sacked lunch.”

We have a responsibility to save lives. We could have waited to close schools, but based on advice from health experts, this is the time to do it. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

Willoughby-Eastlake Superintendent Steve Thompson said students in the district will continue to work.

“Obviously we want to be prudent with taxpayer money and make sure we are doing what is in the best interest of our kids which is to not give them a 3 week vacation,” Thompson said.

A review will be made before reopening any schools, meaning the closures could extend past the three-week mark.

The Governor’s announcement came on Thursday during a daily briefing, which also included an order banning mass gatherings of more than 100 people in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus.

“These orders would not have been issued if this was an ordinary time," DeWine noted. "This is not an ordinary time.”

This includes auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, large conference rooms, meeting halls, cafeterias, or any other confined indoor or outdoor space. This also includes parades, fairs, and festivals. #COVID19OhioReady #COVID19 — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

FOR CLARITY: a mass gathering does NOT include normal operations at airports, bus and train stations, medical facilities, shopping malls, shopping centers or other spaces where 100 or more people may be in transit. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

This order does NOT apply to religious gatherings or gatherings for the purpose of exercising First Amendment protected speech. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

It does NOT apply to typical office environments, schools, restaurants, factories, or retail or grocery stores where large groups of people are present but it is unusual for them to be within an arm’s length of one another. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

A timeline for how long the ban on public gatherings will last has not been established, but DeWine said it will be enforced.

“We are in a crisis situation now,” said Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health.

Gov. Mike DeWine is providing an update on the current number of coronavirus cases in Ohio and how many other individuals are under investigation for a possible infection during a briefing on Thursday. https://bit.ly/3aNer3e Posted by Cleveland 19 News on Thursday, March 12, 2020

As of Thursday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health said five people have tested positive for coronavirus, but Gov. DeWine said he was told by medical experts that the number is likely to double in a week’s timespan.

“There’s going to be a light at the end, but it’s going to get darker,” DeWine described.

We are told by medical experts that the number of #COVID19 cases today will double in six days - and it will continue to do so. — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

The purpose of these orders is to help #Ohio keep social distancing. Our citizens must not only take steps to protect themselves but to also protect others. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady — Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 12, 2020

All five patients who tested positive are in their 50s.

1 patient from Trumbull County

1 patient from Stark County

3 patients from Cuyahoga County

The amount of persons under investigation more than doubled in one day to 52 patients being tested for possible coronavirus infection, according to health officials.

“Some of the early modeling is suggesting a late-April, early-May peak to this,” Acton said.

In addition to the orders closing schools and shutting down public gatherings, DeWine also recommended increased the limit of visitations to psychiatric hospitals and reducing visits to Department of Children and Family Services facilities.

The order prohibiting specific mass gatherings will not prevent voters from casting a ballot on Tuesday, March 17, but some polling places have been relocated.

DeWine also urged state agencies to allow employees to work from home if possible.

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