South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced Sunday that schools in the state would close until the end of March as state officials hope to stop the spread of coronavirus.

A directive announced by the governor also asked that public gatherings be limited to no more than 100 people, echoing orders from state officials across the U.S.

Residents should continue to practice disease prevention measures and follow recommendations for social distancing: https://t.co/7cgHFDxfw7 #COVID19 #SCTweets — SCEMD (@SCEMD) March 15, 2020

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McMaster's order Sunday comes just days after he declared a state of emergency and ordered several school districts to close, at the time for a period of two weeks.

More than 160,000 people have been infected by the virus, which has killed more than 6,000 people worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global pandemic last week, urging governments around the world to cooperate on stopping the virus's spread.

The total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina rose to 28 on Sunday, according to state officials.