To stop the further spread of the coronavirus, all Kentucky school districts should be prepared to possibly close in the next few days, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday.

A statewide public school closure in response to COVID-19 would be unprecedented nationally. In Kentucky, such a move would affect nearly 1,500 schools and roughly 650,000 students

Though the decision to close schools is ultimately up to local districts, Beshear said during an evening press conference that he could issue a "strong recommendation" for closures.

"And we hope everybody will follow it," he said.

Beshear spoke directly to the state's 172 district superintendents earlier Wednesday during an afternoon conference call, according to the Kentucky Department of Education, which arranged the call at Beshear's request.

Beshear asked schools to be prepared for all possibilities, said Toni Konz Tatman, spokeswoman for the department.

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Beshear told superintendents, "It could happen as early as Monday. It might happen sooner than that," according to Konz Tatman, who participated in the call.

The call lasted more than an hour, with Beshear spending roughly half of the conversation answering superintendents' questions, Konz Tatman said. Beshear praised the efforts of Harrison County schools, which continued to provide meals to its students despite closing this week in response to COVID-19, she added.

"He encouraged superintendents to have their plans in place and that we're all going to get through this together," Konz Tatman said.

Beshear's warning follows other instructions from state officials for Kentucky residents to limit their time in group settings and minimize exposure to the vulnerable.

Beshear has ordered a temporary ban on visitors to nursing homes and long-term care facilities run by the state, as well as state prisons. He's also called on churches across the state to cancel services.

The Kentucky Department of Education has in recent days instructed all 172 local school districts to develop contingency plans should they need to close.

New legislation under consideration in the General Assembly would allow districts to use up to 20 non-traditional instructional days for a public health emergency.

The measure would apply only to districts that have state approved non-traditional plans, which let lessons continue from afar if classes are canceled — meaning schools don't have to tack makeup days onto the end of the school year.

Jefferson County Public Schools, the state's largest district, said it is preparing a non-traditional plan but has yet to release details.

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This story is developing and will be updated.

Mandy McLaren: 502-582-4525; mmclaren@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @mandy_mclaren. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/mandym.