Asked about plans for the Boston Marathon , Walsh said the city was meeting with cities and towns along the route, and that he hoped to make a decision in the “next several days.”

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh appeared on CNN Wednesday evening, speaking to anchor Wolf Blitzer about the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts .

“We’re contemplating what the best approach is here,” he said, adding that by April, he suspects the number of coronavirus cases will be much higher.

Walsh also said that the city is examining what to do in the event of closing schools in Boston, noting that he was inviting all schools, including parochial schools, to a meeting Thursday night.


“We have not made a decision to close the school district. If and when we do, it will be about stopping the spread,” he said.

He also noted that 80 percent of city students are from low-income communities and rely on free or subsidized lunches, and said he wanted “to make sure have a plan to get the food to those kids.”

Walsh also said the city is looking at how to implement online learning if needed, noting that the high school level has the “potential” for it, but added that it would be “a little more difficult” for lower grades.

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss