Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered all Florida public schools to extend spring break closures amid concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, a Brevard County school official confirmed Friday afternoon.

Assistant Superintendent Matt Reed said Brevard Public Schools was informed of the decision in a conference call with Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran late Friday afternoon.

Reed confirmed the order applies to Brevard County schools, which will remain closed through Friday, March 27.

The news was followed an hour later by a formal announcement from the Florida Department of Education, which said Corcoran provided the "strong recommendation" on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC this week recommended Florida school districts extend spring break to help control the spread of the virus.

“Keeping students healthy and safe is my No. 1 priority, and that is why we are recommending that districts follow the CDC’s guidance for Florida,” Corcoran said in a statement. “We are continuing to monitor COVID-19, and I encourage all Floridians to remain informed and take the necessary precautions that have been issued by the CDC.”

"During that time, all extracurricular activities, including sports, are suspended," Reed said.

Florida education officials also said the start of state testing would be delayed by a minimum of two weeks.

While students are away, per guidance from the state, the school district will implement deep cleaning at all schools and continue to refine plans for remote learning if closures are extended beyond the end of the month.

Some critical employees will be expected to work during the closure, Reed said.

"Right now, we're going through all employee contracts, classification by classification, to determine who will be needed to work and when, and how they'll be paid," he said.

There were no plans yet in place to ensure thousands of low-income students would continue receiving meals and other essential services, though Reed said the district might use blueprints developed by Brevard County Emergency Management for feeding residents during natural disasters.

"That's an issue we've been studying," he said.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Friday it would work with school districts to provide meals to students.

Many questions remained unanswered Friday. Reed said the situation was fluid and plans were changing quickly.

"The (school district) leadership team is working all the rest of next week to figure this out."

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