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Missoula County officials on Monday issued an order closing bars and limiting restaurant services beginning Tuesday morning, another disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The order begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and will run through 8 a.m. March 24.

The order prohibits dine-in services and operations of bars, but allows drive-thru, take-out and delivery services to continue.

Exceptions in the order include food services at nursing homes, University of Montana Dining and hospitals.

"I know that this is a big ask with Saint Paddy's day tomorrow, but this is not a typical time," County Health Officer Ellen Leahy said in a press release Monday afternoon. "This is a global pandemic of a new virus that spreads easily from person-to-person, and we need everyone's help in curbing it."

The order follows statewide public school closures, school activity cancellations and a flurry of minute-to-minute disruptions in Montana, where seven people have tested positive for the new coronavirus, two of which are located in Missoula.

This story will be updated.

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