State and federal officials say there are simple, everyday steps you can take to avoid catching or spreading respiratory diseases, including COVID-19: Cover your coughs and sneezes, thoroughly wash or sanitize your hands and stay home if you are sick. Get more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov/coronavirus, or call 211, the Iowa Department of Public Heath's hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Iowa Legislature will suspend its legislative session for 30 days following the announcement of "community spread" of the coronavirus in Iowa, legislative leaders announced Sunday.

The Iowa House and Senate will meet Monday afternoon at their regularly scheduled times "to consider resolutions regarding continuity of government to ensure delivery of essential services to Iowans," according to a news release Sunday afternoon from Iowa House Republicans.

The legislative session will be suspended "for a minimum of 30 days," the release said.

Subcommittee and committee meetings at the Iowa Capitol that had been scheduled for Monday are canceled.

The Capitol building will open at 11 a.m. Monday, but staff and members of the public who wish to enter will be required to undergo a health screening administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health, including a health questionnaire and temperature reading, the release states.

Events, tours and receptions at the Capitol are canceled and lawmakers are encouraging members of the public over age 60 with underlying health conditions to avoid coming to the Capitol complex.

Speaking on a conference call Sunday with Democratic Senators, Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen said lawmakers will need to meet Monday to pass emergency legislation, which is still being drafted. She said the legislation will include language about suspending the session until April 15, guidance for school districts, a supplemental appropriation for Medicaid, an extension of government appointees that require approval from the Iowa Senate and the expansion of gubernatorial powers to potentially change government deadlines for things like taxes.

Per diem payments to lawmakers will continue for 100 days, as normal, and staff will also be paid for 100 days, the normal length of the legislative session, Petersen said on the call.

The news comes after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Saturday night that the state had seen its first case of "community spread" of the virus. Reynolds met Sunday with Republican and Democratic leaders from the House and Senate to discuss what the Legislature would do.

► MORE:The latest on coronavirus in Iowa.

According to state public health officials, community spread occurs when an individual has been infected with a virus that public health officials cannot specifically identify the source of the infection, or they cannot determine how or where the person became infected.

As of Saturday, 11 state legislatures across the country had postponed their legislative sessions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Sunday's announcement is a change from Thursday, when top Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate said they expected to continue with the legislative session as normal.

“I expect it to be a normal session — as normal as it can be. And whenever we get done, we’ll get done, whether that’s earlier or later, just like always,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny said on Thursday.

Whitver and House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, emphasized Thursday that they were making their decisions based on conversations with Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Public Health. On Saturday, for the first time, the department recommended that Iowans not hold or attend large gatherings of more than 250 people.

"Until the folks at the Department of Public Health — the health professionals, in consultation with the governor’s office — give that recommendation to the Legislature we’re going to continue to operate as business as usual," Grassley said Thursday.

Reynolds' spokesperson, Pat Garrett, said Sunday that the governor supports the Legislature's decision and that it was made in consultation with her office and the Iowa Department of Public Health and based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

The virus has prompted Iowa organizations and governments to take action. On Sunday, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie declared a state of emergency, banning gatherings of more than 250 people on public property. Des Moines Public Schools have closed until March 30 and many public and private colleges and universities have sent students home and transitioned to online classes for the remainder of the school year.

Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, first called last week for the Legislature to halt its activities as a precaution against spreading the virus.

"I can’t think of a single bigger incubator for a viral disease to spread statewide than the Iowa State Capitol," Hogg said Wednesday. "Every day, we have hundreds or thousands of people in the Capitol from all over Iowa when we’re in session — and then everybody goes back home. And so if we were to have a coronavirus case at the state Capitol, that would spread all across Iowa."

As of Saturday night, Iowa has identified 18 positive cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. All but one of those cases are tied to travel.

► MAPS:Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

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