A man in Trumbull County tested positive for the coronavirus and is hospitalized. The state also issued new orders on large gatherings today, prompting many groups to cancel events.

With the closure of K-12 schools and the banning of gatherings of more than 100 people, Ohio is quickly grinding to a halt as the coronavirus spreads throughout the state.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced he will close all schools — public, private and charter — at the end of the day Monday until April 3. The closures do not include child-care facilities.

“We thought long and hard about that, and we understand the sacrifice this is going to entail, but this is the best medical advice we can get from people who study viruses,” DeWine said.

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Dr. Amy Action, director of the Ohio Department of Health, signed an order Thursday banning gatherings of more than 100 people, the governor said. The ban does not include grocery stores, restaurants and bars, forms of transit, athletic events that exclude spectators, weddings, funerals or religious worship, DeWine said.

DeWine on Tuesday asked for event organizers and sporting events to limit spectators. Since then the NBA, NHL, MLS and Major League Baseball have postponed their seasons.

In the next few days, DeWine said the state will issue regulations to stop all visitation at nursing homes and state psychiatric hospitals. People who work at nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals will have their temperatures tested.

“This will not last forever ... Everything we’re doing is temporary,” DeWine said. “We will get back to normal in Ohio.”

A fifth Ohioan tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. He is a 55-year-old man from Trumbull County. The man has been hospitalized in an intensive care unit and did not go to work after developing symptoms, DeWine said.

The five cases are expected to double within six days, DeWine said.

“We know that these confirmed numbers are just a small fraction of the individuals who are infected already in the state of Ohio,“ DeWine said.

Action said 1% of Ohio’s population, more than 100,000 people, were carrying the virus as of Thursday based on estimates using confirmed and presumed cases and experiences in China and other countries.

The state received two additional testing kits for the virus, bringing its capacity to test up to 1,200 people, Acton said.

There are 52 Ohioans awaiting test results for COVID-19. There are 30 Ohioans who have tested negative so far, according to the state Health Department’s website.

The two latest confirmed cases of the virus represent “community spread,” officials said. That means a person who had not been traveling abroad was infected by someone else within the U.S.

Acton said the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to peak by late April or mid-May.

Until then, Ohioans will have a few tough months ahead of them, she said.

“Every action every one of us takes is going to save lives,“ Acton said.

Watch the governor’s press conference live.

Schools plan for three-week closure after DeWine’s order

State Superintendent Paola DeMaria spoke with educators on a conference call late Thursday afternoon to provide detail and clarity following the school-closing order.

“We anticipate continued cooperation as we transition to this period of suspended in-person activity as seamlessly as possible,” DeMaria said in a statement issued at 6 p.m. Thursday. “We are especially grateful to schools that have proactively developed plans to keep learning going even if school buildings aren’t open.”

While classes are currently set to resume April 3, local districts will decide exactly how to proceed.

Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district with more than 50,000 students, was one of several area districts that announced prior to DeWine’s Thursday order that they would close starting Monday.

Shortly after the announcement, Columbus City school administrators were gathered in a meeting finalizing academic and staffing plans, district spokeswoman Jacqueline Bryant said.

More updates were expected Friday, she said.

Bexley and Reynoldsburg school districts announced Wednesday that Friday classes were canceled so that educators could plan for a possible closure and maintenance staffs could clean buildings.

Some districts were caught off-guard by DeWine's order of an "extended spring break."

"This was unexpected news and we have no other details," the Groveport Madison school district posted on its Twitter page. "We will follow-up as soon as we have more information."

New Albany-Plain schools spokesman Patrick Gallaway said the district already was preparing for the "unprecedented situation" so that student instruction continues at home.

"We will prep with staff early next week to be able to execute our plans for instruction,“ he said.

Beyond academics, some school district officials have expressed concerns regarding student access to both the internet and food during an extended closure. Elsewhere in the country, closed schools have resorted to providing kids free meals via pickup or delivery.

For example, all Columbus students receive free breakfast and lunch every day.

Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Education had asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue offering free and reduced-price meals to low-income students should schools close, spokeswoman Mandy Minick said.

Under Ohio's proposal, students could pick up meals to take home, she had said.

The Ohio Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, released a statement in support of DeWine's decision.

“Although we have not yet seen the official order, OEA understands the sacrifice this is going to entail for all Ohioans, but agrees this is the best action at this time,” president Scott DiMauro said.

Churches take precautions, some cancel in-person services

As many central Ohioans look ahead to Sunday morning, they likely won't be leaving their homes as usual to attend a local church service.

Though the state has not told houses of worship to close, many are exercising caution to avoid spreading the virus.

Several churches have offered live streams of their services for years. Now, it is the only option for many.

First Community Church, with two local campuses, decided Wednesday to cancel in-person services and worship only online, according to an email sent to members.

It will stream a message, music, prayers and Scripture readings. The church also canceled all meetings and events until Tuesday, though both locations and the church’s food pantry are to remain open.

The decision was made based on a variety of concerns, the email said. “Of primary importance is the safety and health of our members and friends ... many of our most active members are in groups considered to be more vulnerable,” it said.

X Church, with locations in Lithopolis and Lancaster, announced Thursday that it is canceling Thursday night and weekend in-person services.

“We are going through an unprecedented time,” Tim Moore, lead pastor at X Church, said in a statement. “In times of stress, struggle and uncertainty, we seek our church family and we want to be there, but we need to consider the health and safety of everyone. We found a way to share a message of hope and peace while focusing on the health of our community.”

The Noor Islamic Cultural Center on the Northwest Side has asked people for whom prayer is not required by their religious traditions not to attend, including the old, sick, weak, women, travelers and children. They are also asking that people bring their own prayer rugs and not touch others’.

Short North Church is hosting its breakfast church program outside through the end of the month and asking people to watch online instead of in person.

Congregation Tifereth Israel on the Near East Side is continuing to host services and programs, but as many other houses of worship are, it is asking people to take precautions such as frequently washing their hands, not touching others, keeping a safe distance from others and staying at home to watch a livestream of services if vulnerable or ill.

Columbus plans for severe disruption

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther has been in constant contact with state leaders.

He said the city might lose tax revenue as businesses and the general economy slow down. The city might also have to tap into its rainy-day fund at some point, he said.

"Disruption is the new normal for the next several months. We have to accept that, but we've got to keep engaging in our daily lives,“ Ginther said.

Columbus officials said that given the governor's new directive, they are evaluating city programs and events to determine how they might be affected, said Robin Davis, Ginther’s director of media relations.

All civil and criminal proceedings in federal court were continued for 30 days, under a general order filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus Thursday. The order cited "the court’s reduced ability to obtain an adequate spectrum of jurors and the effect of … public health recommendations on the availability of counsel and court staff to be present in the courtroom.”

Federal courthouses are remaining open and filings will be taken, but most matters are being postponed through April 13.

The Shamrock Club of Columbus, which hosts annual activities on St. Patrick's Day, has canceled the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown Columbus and the Irish Family Reunion previously scheduled for Tuesday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The St. Patrick's Day parade set for Saturday in Dublin also has been canceled, and the grand opening of the new Dublin Link Bridge, scheduled to open Friday, has been postponed.

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts has suspended all events and performances scheduled at the Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, McCoy Center for the Arts and Riffe Center Theatre Complex through at least April 5.

CAPA has begun conversations with all local resident arts groups, touring artists renting a CAPA venue and CAPA-presented touring artists with performances scheduled during this time to determine if the events can be rescheduled to a future date or will be canceled.

As new information becomes available, those who have purchased tickets through Ticketmaster or CBUSArts will be contacted directly with exchange, refund or rescheduling options, officials said. CAPA cannot refund tickets purchased through other channels such as secondary ticket sellers.

The Columbus International Auto Show scheduled March 19-22 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center has been canceled. Organizers are discussing rescheduling the event in coming weeks.

COSI has made some changes to some of its programs by canceling or postponing. COSI has canceled COSI After Dark on Thursday night and its camp-in was canceled through the end of the month, for now.

“It’s a fluid situation that is rapidly changing,” COSI spokeswoman Jaclyn Reynolds said.

The Columbus Museum of Art and the Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art galleries remain open, according to its website.

All in-person public programs and events at CMA and Pizzuti through April 12 have been suspended. Several events at CMA in March and early April have been suspended.

The Ohio History Center and Ohio Village will be closed to the public beginning Friday. State historic sites will be closed beginning Saturday, executive director Burt Logan said.

The Columbus Metropolitan Club is postponing live audience participation at its Wednesday lunch forums for the foreseeable future.

It will continue with regularly scheduled programming with speakers and panelists to be livestreamed free of charge via YouTube. Members and registrants who have already paid will be able to roll registrations into credit for future forums.

"There's going to be a significant amount of disruption over the next several months to our daily lives,“ Ginther said.

Dispatch Reporters Bill Bush, Alissa Widman Neese, Danae King, Mark Ferenchik, Sarah Sole, Eric Lagatta, Erica Thompson, Megan Henry, Dean Narciso, Anna Staver and Mark Williams and Editors Alan Miller and Kelly Lecker contributed to this story.

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby