Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that all K-12 Pennsylvania schools will be closed for 10 business days starting Monday in an effort to thwart the spread of coronavirus.

His administration worked with school districts as well as state and local officials before making the decision, according to a news release.

The administration will continue to monitor COVID-19 in the state and at the end of 10 days will reevaluate and decide whether continued closure is needed.

So far there are 33 presumptively positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania, including one in Northampton County.

In his statement, Gov. Wolf said his top priority is ensuring the health and safety of students and school communities.

We understand that these are trying times and recognize the impact of the coronavirus on our students and communities. He said school district’s won’t lose state funding if they fall short of the mandate of 180 days of instruction.

“The Department of Education will work with intermediate units and other stakeholders to support school districts with any continuity of learning plans they may be pursuing,” Wolf said in the statement.

Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced today that it received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow eligible schools to serve meals to low income students as long as they are disseminated by drive-through or in a “grab and go" manner to prevent children from congregating in groups.

Local school leaders have said they are exploring whether to offer online instruction, and if so, how they’ll offer it.

Nazareth Area School District Superintendent Dennis Riker told parents in an automated call that more information about the closure will be disseminated Monday, March 16. He said parents and students will be allowed in schools Monday morning until noon to retrieve items they left behind.

“After that, the district is completely shut off,” he said. Riker said children should refrain from using district playgrounds and athletic fields.

Bethlehem Area schools Superintendent Joseph Roy told parents in an automated call child-care will continue to operate at combined centers, all student activities and athletic events will be canceled and offices will remain open. The district said later BASD Childcare centers will be closed beginning Tuesday, March 17 under new Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines. Childcare centers were to be open at combined centers on Monday, March 16.

Boxed lunches will be distributed to free and reduced price eligible students beginning Wednesday at sites to be announced. The district plans to announce at the beginning of next week learning opportunities for students during the closure.

“This is truly an unprecedented time,” Roy said. “The pandemic is not an individual crisis, it’s a community crisis. Please continue to take care of yourselves, your family and your neighbors in this extraordinary time.”

The Easton Area School District will offer grab-and-go breakfast and lunch for any child between 9 and 11 a.m. at Cheston Elementary School, Paxinosa Elementary School, Easton Area Middle School and Easton Area High School.

Teachers are urged to check emails for further instruction about reporting to work. The district encourages students to continue independent learning, continue physical activity and await further instructions.

SAT testing Saturday, March 14, at Easton Area High School is canceled.

Coronavirus is a respiratory illness that originated in China. So far it has killed more than 4,900 people worldwide and afflicted more than 132,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If there’s anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.