As more states issue shelter-in-place orders, Gov. Charlie Baker said Massachusetts would also shut down non-essential operations to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from growing, and gatherings are now limited to 10 people.

Baker announced the order would take effect at noon Tuesday and last until noon on April 7. The order closes all non-essential businesses to workers and the public, except for essential workers. Those include employees at grocery stores, pharmacies, mortuaries and transportation workers, as well as first responders, health care workers and others on the front lines of the coronavirus response.

“Every single act of distancing has purpose,” Baker said. “There is purpose in these drastic changes to the way we live.”

There are other exemptions for businesses. The state is not shutting down construction sites, although some municipalities have issued bans of their own. Food services offering takeout are not affected, and medical marijuana shops can keep their doors open. Liquor stores can also stay open.

Recreational marijuana shops, however, must close their doors. Baker said leaving recreational marijuana open would likely draw patrons from other states, something state officials are trying to avoid.

Churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship would also be exempt from the order, but faith-based gatherings would have to comply with the restrictions set forth by the state, including limiting gatherings to 10 people.

For the rest of the state, Baker issued a stay at home advisory but stopped short of ordering it.

“I don’t believe I can or should order U.S. citizens to be confined to their homes for days on end,” Baker said.

The advisory shouldn’t stop people from being out of their homes or “taking a walk in the park," but said citizens should use common sense to avoid congregating in groups.

Those who violate the executive order and guidance could face a $300 fine and, if multiple offenses are alleged, a $500 fine or prison time, according to the state Department of Public Health’s guidance on the executive order.

More than 300 people in the United States have died from the virus, including five in Massachusetts.

At least 646 people in the Bay State have tested positive, according to figures from the state Department of Health. Of those, 357 are under the age of 50.

At least 99 cases have been tied to a Biogen employee conference that was held late February in Boston.

The announcement comes after Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Ohio announced shelter-in-place orders or advisories of their own, instructing residents to remain at home except for certain exempted workers.

Baker said he’d reviewed closely what was happening in other states, as well as the guidance issued by the federal government, and decided this was the right time to make this move. The spread of the virus in every county of Massachusetts also prompted Baker to issue the new restrictions.

Baker has called on the National Guard last week to help with pre-screening certain essential workers. Some towns also asked for guardsmen to replace or supplement their first responders.

When asked if the National Guard would enforce the order, Baker said the order to close all non-essential businesses would be enforced on the local level.

Governors from New York and New Jersey have both publicly voiced frustrations with residents in those states not taking orders seriously and continuing to congregate.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11 after more than 4,250 people died worldwide. The death toll has more than tripled since: More than 15,000 people have died worldwide, according to the tracker by Johns Hopkins University researchers. More than 100,000 people who were infected have recovered.

Massachusetts officials started restricting public life last week as the number of coronavirus cases climbed nationwide. On March 16, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said the State House would be closed, and Gov. Baker ordered executive branch workers who aren’t assigned to the coronavirus response to work remotely or expect new assignments related to the response.

Baker signed a bill last week to waive the one-week waiting period of unemployment benefits to those who lost work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

This week, the Legislature is reviewing bills that would give municipalities leeway on forming their budgets, among other proposals drafted in response to the pandemic.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated with more information as the governor talks.

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