RICHMOND, Va. – Gov. Ralph Northam has banned all public gatherings of more than 100 people statewide and ordered a two-week shutdown of municipal offices in an area of southeast Virginia that has been hit by a cluster of coronavirus cases.

Northam made the announcement Sunday after meeting with local officials in the Peninsula Health District, where eight people have tested positive for the virus. Those cases include a man in his 70s who died of respiratory failure caused by the virus.

The peninsula covers Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, James City County and York County.

Statewide, 45 people have tested positive for the virus. None of the known cases are in Southwest Virginia.