By Jacob Klopfenstein, Lauren Bennett and Liesl Nielsen, KSL.com | Updated - Mar. 12, 2020 at 10:46 p.m. | Posted - Mar. 12, 2020 at 6:06 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the latest coronavirus-related updates from Utah and around the world.

As more cases of the novel coronavirus are confirmed in Utah, communities are shutting down large gatherings and cancelling school and classes.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced several recommendations for the public to prevent the spread of the virus. Large gatherings should be limited to a maximum of 100 people, and people over the age of 60 should avoid gatherings of more than 20 people.

In conjunction with the Utah COVID-19 Community Task Force, and Local Departments of Health we recommend the following measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19: — Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) March 12, 2020

The full list of recommendations can be found below. Watch the full press conference below or by clicking this link.

Stay up to date on the latest closures across Utah below. If you're on a mobile device and can't see the updates below, click on this link.

Thursday, 10:37pm Jazz players are self quarantining, Utah Department of Health says .@utahjazz press release on our combined efforts to bring players and staff home from Oklahoma City. https://t.co/CSFQ5sxMCN#welcomehome#utahcovid19 — Utah Dept. of Health (@UtahDepOfHealth) March 13, 2020

Thursday, 09:32pm City Creek to reopen Friday After shutting down on Thursday due to COVID-19 concerns, the mall announced it would reopen for normal business hours on Friday. City Creek Center, the retail center, will open for regular hours on Friday, March 13 at 10 AM. Thank you! — City Creek Center (@CityCreekCenter) March 13, 2020

Thursday, 07:13pm Rocky Mountain Power will keep power on for customers having difficulty paying To support COVID-19 state of emergency response, Rocky Mountain Power is temporarily suspending disconnections for our customers. With many in our communities possibly needing to self-isolate or work from home, we understand the importance of uninterrupted electric service.(1/3) — Rocky Mountain Power UT (@RMP_Utah) March 13, 2020 Our focus continues to be on maintaining the reliability of our service and the safety of customers, communities and colleagues. We will continue to work closely with state and federal emergency response teams to support our customers and communities throughout this event. (3/3) — Rocky Mountain Power UT (@RMP_Utah) March 13, 2020

Thursday, 06:21pm The Church of Jesus Christ suspends church services worldwide The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has suspended church services worldwide, including stake conferences, leadership conferences and other large gatherings, sacrament meetings, branch, ward and stake activities. Read the full story here.

Thursday, 06:00pm Intermountain Healthcare overwhelmed with healthy patients, officials say Intermountain Healthcare officials say herds of healthy individuals are flooding IHC emergency departments, InstaCares and other clinics statewide with novel coronavirus concerns — and they’re exhausting health care resources for those who are truly in need. Clinicians are asking Utahns to stay home and utilize other resources to see if they need to go to a facility for further evaluation.

Thursday, 05:22pm COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the release of these movies The entertainment industry, a business predicated on drawing crowds in theaters, cinemas and concert venues, is bracing for possible shutdown in the coming weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, potentially putting on pause the normal hum of TV productions, the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres and the applause of audiences. The releases of the following movies have been delayed: "A Quiet Place: Part II" "Mulan" “F9,” the ninth “Fast and Furious” “The Lovebirds”

Thursday, 04:39pm Major League Baseball suspends spring training and pushes back start of the season Major League Baseball will delay its 2020 the start of the season by at least 2 weeks. Statement from Major League Baseball: pic.twitter.com/0bWS5VTRPu — MLB (@MLB) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 04:21pm Salt Lake City performing arts centers cancel all performances The Eccles Theater, Abravanel Hall, Capitol Theatre, and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center have canceled all performances for the rest of March, beginning tonight at the request of Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. Anyone with questions was asked to email arts-info@slco.org.

Thursday, 04:08pm Salt Lake County closes facilities in response to COVID-19 All county senior centers, recreation centers, libraries, arts and cultural centers, the equestrian center and the Clark Planetarium will be closed indefinitely starting on Friday due to the novel coronavirus concerns. Visit the county’s website for a full list of closures.

Thursday, 03:07pm BYU cancels classes March 13-17, will resume online courses March 18 All classes are canceled at Brigham Young University on March 13, 16 and 17, the university said Thursday. Classes will resume remotely March 18 for both BYU's Provo campus and the BYU Salt Lake Center. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Consistent with the CES guidelines issued last night, Brigham Young University has made the following decisions. Classes on March 13, 16 & 17 are canceled. All courses at BYU & its Salt Lake Center, will resume March 18 through remote instruction. — BYU (@BYU) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 03:04pm Utah High School Athletics Association suspends activities for 2 weeks The Utah High School Athletics Association will suspend all activities for at least two weeks starting Monday, March 16. UHSAA also has canceled a state debate tournament that was scheduled for this weekend. BREAKING: The UHSAA has suspended this weekend’s State Debate Tournament and is suspending activities statewide starting Monday, March 16, for at least two weeks, with schools having the option to suspend immediately. Stay tuned for a link to the full Association release. — UHSAA (@UHSAAinfo) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 02:51pm Disneyland will close as businesses and organizations try to prevent coronavirus spread Starting Saturday until the end of March, Disney will close Disneyland Resort, its amusement park in Anaheim, California, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the company. There have been no cases of COVID-19 confirmed at the resort, Disney said. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, is closing due to the coronavirus outbreak. The closure follows Disney shuttering some of its parks overseas because of the virus. https://t.co/K4G2JdDrfU — CNN (@CNN) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 02:44pm Minor League Baseball, including Salt Lake Bees, will postpone start of season Minor League Baseball, which includes the Salt Lake Bees, will postpone the start of its season. The league issued the following statement Thursday afternoon: “In light of the current coronavirus outbreak, and after consultation with medical professionals and our partners at Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball will delay the start of the 2020 Championship Season. We will continue to monitor the developments and will announce additional information about the 2020 season at a later date. We will work with Major League Baseball and our community partners to resume play as soon as it is safe to do so. The health and safety of Minor League Baseball fans, players and executives is our top priority, and our thoughts are with those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak.”

Thursday, 02:20pm NCAA cancels March Madness basketball tournaments and all other winter and spring championships NCAA president Mark Emmert made the move Thursday to postpone the annual 68-team NCAA Division I men’s and women's basketball tournament to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, commonly referred to as novel coronavirus. NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/qzKAS4McEIpic.twitter.com/G6XreZx35E — NCAA (@NCAA) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 02:17pm Utah Jazz players who didn’t test positive for COVID-19 are coming back to Utah Utah Jazz players other than Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the two athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19, were on their way back to Utah from Oklahoma as of Thursday afternoon, according to Utah Jazz President Steve Starks. The Jazz were scheduled to play a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, but it was postponed after Gobert tested positive. There were no other positive tests for COVID-19 among the group of Jazz players, coaches and staff members that was in Oklahoma, Starks said. Employees for the Jazz organization, as well as for Vivint Smart Home Arena and the Jazz’s Zions Bank practice facility, have been asked not to enter those facilities so that they can be cleaned, Starks said. Those employees have not been asked to self-quarantine unless they came in direct contact with either Gobert or Mitchell, he added. Health officials are currently watching Jazz games to determine if there were any people who came in direct contact with those players, according to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. None of the Jazz players sought testing in Utah before leaving for Oklahoma because none of them had symptoms of COVID-19, Starks said. All testing was done in Oklahoma, he added.

Thursday, 01:47pm Utah leaders announce recommendations to prevent spread of coronavirus State leaders on Thursday announced several recommendations for the public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The recommendations are merely guidelines that state leaders hope members of the public will follow to help prevent the spread of the virus and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. They will be in effect starting Monday and for two weeks after that. State leaders will reevaluate the situation after those two weeks and then come up with new recommendations if necessary, according to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. Here are the recommendations, as announced Thursday by Gov. Gary Herbert: Gatherings of large groups should be limited to a maximum of 100 people. This does not include schools at this time.

People age 60 and older should avoid gatherings of groups larger than 20 people.

Anyone whose immune system is compromised should also avoid gatherings of more than 20 people.

People who have the ability to work from home are encouraged to do so immediately.

Additional steps should be taken to protect high-risk groups, such as people in elderly care facilities.

People who are sick should stay home from work to avoid infecting others, and employers should have some tolerance and understanding for that. Herbert and Cox both stressed that these recommendations are proactive to try to prevent a massive spread of the virus in Utah. The recommendations are not being announced because the situation in Utah is very bad, but rather to ensure that it does not reach that point, Cox said. More information is available at coronavirus.utah.gov and on Twitter @UtahCoronavirus. In conjunction with the Utah COVID-19 Community Task Force, and Local Departments of Health we recommend the following measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19: — Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 01:40pm Universities, colleges move classes online A slew of colleges and universities have decided to move classes online the same day Gov. Gary Herbert announced that public gatherings should be limited to less than 100 people. The University of Utah, Southern Utah University, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University, Weber State University, Utah State University, Westminster College, Dixie State University and Snow College will move to online classes for the rest of the semester, though each college and university is starting that transition on a different date. The colleges and universities are also cancelling classes until that transition is complete. Students should check their school's website to determine its schedule. Brigham Young University has not yet announced a plan to move to online classes.

Thursday, 12:31pm City Creek closes Thursday after confirming a shopper with COVID-19 frequented the area 1 of 2: Out of an abundance of caution, City Creek Center is closing today, effective immediately. We learned a shopper, confirmed to have COVID-19, was in the center on March 10. — City Creek Center (@CityCreekCenter) March 12, 2020 2 of 2: To help ensure the safety of customers and employees, the center’s common areas will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected today. It is anticipated that the center will reopen for business tomorrow. City Creek offices and residences will remain open. — City Creek Center (@CityCreekCenter) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 11:40am Senior Latter-day Saint missionaries, young missionaries with medical conditions to be sent home from Europe All senior missionaries in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as young missionaries who have serious or chronic medical conditions, will be sent home from Europe, the church announced Thursday. Senior missionaries and young missionaries who fit those criteria will be sent home from 22 missions in Europe, the church said. They will then be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Thursday, 11:36am BYU closes athletic competitions to fans over coronavirus concerns BYU has barred the public for all athletic events on campus, the university said in a prepared statement Thursday. That means only participants, coaches and essential staff will be allowed to attend events, which range from spring football practices to baseball games to extramural club sports. Effective immediately, all athletic events on BYU's campus will be closed to the public. Only participants, coaches and essential staff will be allowed to attend. BYU Athletics will provide updates as more information becomes available. pic.twitter.com/2lSbpuWOWY — BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 11:24am BYU students receiving hoax text messages Some Brigham Young University students have reported receiving text messages from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but they are a hoax, according to U.S. Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah. Communication would first come from the Utah County Health Department, not the CDC, Curtis said. More information is available from BYU at byu.edu/coronavirus. 🚨Some @BYU students report they have received a text message from the CDC about #COVID19. This is a hoax and not from the CDC.



The Utah County Health Department would first call, then send an official letter to reach someone.



More info here: https://t.co/FScTOGFtxs — Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 11:20am Salt Lake City St. Patrick's Day parade canceled The Hibernian Society of Utah has canceled a St. Patrick's Day parade that was scheduled for Saturday in Salt Lake City. "In light of the increased risk of the Coronavirus & in keeping Utah residents safe, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel Saturday’s parade," the group said on Facebook. "Our highest hope is that we will be able to reschedule both the parade & Siamsa for a later date." Any questions about the parade can be emailed to hibernians@irishinutah.org.

Thursday, 10:40am Pac-12 basketball tournament canceled The Pac-12 basketball tournament has been canceled, along with all other sports events within the conference, the Pac-12 said. The Utah Utes men's basketball team was eliminated from the tournament on Wednesday. Pac-12 statement on men's basketball tournament, Pac-12 sport competitions & Pac-12 championship events: pic.twitter.com/HjJvki3LOT — Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 10:25am Murray School District cancels classes indefinitely following potential COVID-19 exposure Starting Friday, March 13, Murray School District classes will be canceled indefinitely. District officials became aware of a potential direct exposure to COVID-19 by someone in the district, according to a Facebook post. All people who came in contact with that person have been notified, and none have shown any symptoms of COVID-19. “As this is a rapidly evolving issue in our District and across the state, we are working through contingencies and plans to address potential dates we might reopen and our next steps,” the Facebook post said. “We will keep an open line of communication as more information is available.” Parents can pick up their students early from school on Thursday. All extracurricular activities are also canceled.

Thursday, 10:19am U.S. women's national soccer team cancels friendly match in Utah U.S. Soccer has canceled all men's and women's team matches through March and April. The women's team was scheduled to play a friendly international match against Australia on April 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, but that will now be canceled. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, U.S. Soccer has canceled the upcoming #USMNT & #USWNT games in March & April, and the majority of #USYNT and Extended National Team matches and camps that were planned through the end of April. — U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 10:13am Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament in Las Vegas cancelled The Western Athletic Conference, which includes Utah Valley University in Orem, has cancelled its basketball tournament, effective immediately. The tournament was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. The WAC has cancelled its basketball tournament in Las Vegas, effectively immediately. — Sean Walker (@ActuallyDSW) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 10:03am Gov. Herbert's press conference regarding Utah education systems postponed to 12 p.m. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's press conference, in which he is expected to announce coronavirus prevention recommendations for Utah's public schools and higher education institutions, has been postponed to noon Thursday. The press conference was previously scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Media members have been told a second press conference will take place regarding the Utah Jazz after Herbert speaks. I'm here at the Utah Capitol for a press conference regarding state recommendations for public and higher education amid COVID-19 concerns. It was supposed to start at 10. We've now been told it will happen at noon #utpol — Carter Williams (@cwilliamsKSL) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 09:24am Princess Cruises suspends operations for 60 days, Viking Cruises cancels trips through April 30 Princess Cruises will suspend all operations for 60 days, and Viking Cruises will cancel all trips through April 30 as the global coronavirus pandemic continues, according to USA Today. Viking Cruises cancels all cruises until May 1 due to coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/EGiOedfQx9 — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 09:18am Report: MLS suspends season indefinitely amid coronavirus pandemic The MLS has suspended its season indefinitely as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to affect sports organizations worldwide, according to reports. Sports Illustrated soccer reporter Grant Wahl reported the news about the MLS season on Thursday morning. The suspension presumably will include Real Salt Lake's season. MLS is suspending its season immediately until further notice due to coronavirus, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Sports Illustrated. — Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 08:53am Report: Donovan Mitchell tests positive for COVID-19 Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. The NBA postponed the league season indefinitely Wednesday evening after Mitchell's teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for the disease. Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus, league sources tell ESPN. Jazz players privately say that Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings. Now a Jazz teammate has tested positive. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 08:29am Stocks remain lower after trading resumes; Dow down 1,800 Stocks are sharply lower after resuming trading as traders fear that not enough is being done to contain the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. The Dow industrials are down 1,800 points, or 8%, following a 15-minute trading halt.

Thursday, 07:53am U.S. Capitol, House and Senate office buildings in Washington, D.C. closed to public through April 1 The U.S. Capitol, as well as the House and Senate office buildings in Washington, D.C., have been closed to the public until April 1 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the Associated Press.

Thursday, 07:42am BYU spring graduation ceremonies will not be held in person All large gatherings, including commencements or convocations, are prohibited indefinitely within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This means that Brigham Young University's spring graduation ceremony could be streamed, postponed or canceled. The church announced the news Wednesday evening in a letter outlining church educational system guidelines in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. "These events may be cancelled, streamed, or recorded and posted for on-demand use, as determined by leadership at each institution," the church letter says. Exactly how the BYU ceremony will be affected is currently unknown.

Thursday, 07:42am Utah Gov. Herbert to announce education recommendations for COVID-19 at 9 a.m. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, along with the Utah Coronavirus Task Force, has approved recommendations for the state’s public schools and higher education institutions. Those recommendations will be announced today at 9 a.m., Herbert’s office said. The guidelines will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus while also allowing the education facilities to continue functioning, the governor’s office said. KSL.com will provide updates on the recommendations when they are announced.

Thursday, 06:06am Be Ready Utah Expo postponed The Be Ready Utah Expo, an emergency preparedness conference scheduled for March 13 and 14, has been postponed. It is run by the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. Unfortunately we are postponing the 2020 Be Ready Utah Expo until further notice. We will be posting a statement on our social media this morning. — Be Ready Utah (@BeReadyUtah) March 12, 2020

Thursday, 05:55am University of Utah expected to announce whether classes will be canceled at 9 a.m. Thursday UPDATE: A decision on whether in-person classes will be canceled will be announced tomorrow morning at 9a.



Information about #COVID19 and its impact on campus can be found at https://t.co/ec9q5HZn74 — University of Utah (@UUtah) March 11, 2020

Thursday, 05:54am Weber State University to announce COVID-19 impact to campus at 9:30 a.m. Weber State will make an announcement regarding COVID-19 and on-campus activities Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Thursday, 05:54am Elementary schools closed in Utah Carden Memorial School: Classes are suspended until after spring break. Classes are expected to resume on March 30.

Thursday, 05:54am Junior high schools closed in Utah As of Thursday morning, there were no reports of Utah junior high schools closing due to COVID-19 concerns.

Thursday, 05:54am High schools closed in Utah As of Thursday morning, there were no reports of Utah high schools closing due to COVID-19 concerns.

Thursday, 07:18am ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, leading to the NBA announcing that the season has been suspended until further notice.

Taking drastic action Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he is cutting off travel from Europe to the U.S. and moving to ease the economic cost of a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans.

The third case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Utah. The man diagnosed is younger than 60, lives in Summit County, recently traveled to Austria and had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases there, officials said.

With concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the NCAA will require teams in its 68-team Division I men’s and women's basketball tournaments to play games in mostly-empty arenas.

Expressing alarm both about mounting infections and inadequate government responses, the World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic but added that it’s not too late for countries to act.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that April's general conference sessions will be held virtually, some incoming missionaries will train remotely, and gatherings of multiple congregations in some areas will be postponed.

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