Gov. Kristi Noem is asking for the state's public schools to close for a week for cleaning, she announced on a conference call Friday afternoon.

She said the closures will allow schools to undergo deep cleaning and prepare for potential classes the following week, something she said was a good time to do since many of the districts are closed for spring break next week anyway. The state will then continue to evaluate whether schools will open after the week-long closure on a daily basis, she said.

All K-12 public schools are on the list, though districts can decide for themselves whether to close or not. Noem is asking private schools to close as well.

"It is a decision I have made to tell the schools to close for the following week," Noem said.

Coronavirus:Confirmed cases, latest news and updates

The Sioux Falls School District announced several hours after Noem's decision it would close Monday through Wednesday next week. Thursday and Friday were already scheduled vacation days.

Middle school and high school students will be bringing their assigned Chromebooks, devices and chargers home Friday in the event of a long-term closure. The district anticipates students and staff will be back in class March 23.

The Tea, Harrisburg, Tri-Valley, West Central and Brandon Valley school districts are also closed next week. Sioux Falls Catholic schools and Sioux Falls Christian Schools have also closed.

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Noem also said she signed a State of Emergency order, which will help the state get additional funding to respond to the virus.

"For weeks, this (virus) has been our No. 1 priority," Noem said. "This is not just my job, this is my life, my family, my friends and the people I've spent my entire life with. We’re spending every single moment making proactive decisions to make sure we’re taking care of the people in South Dakota.

Meanwhile, a judicial emergency has been issued, which means that circuit courts can "take necessary action to protect vulnerable people and keep the virus from spreading." And the state is also discussing contingency plans for the upcoming election cycle. South Dakota's primary election is June 2.

State has reported nine cases

South Dakota now has nine cases of COVID-19, the new coronavirus affecting the globe.

The news came in a tweet from Gov. Kristi Noem at the same time the state health department updated its numbers on the state's covid.sd.gov website, used for all state information about the illness.

As of Thursday afternoon, state officials had 27 negative tests and 41 tests pending. Now the state has 73 negative tests and 11 pending.

The newest case, a man in his 30's, is stated to have occurred in McCook County, state health officials said. Like the previous eight, he had a recent history of travel outside of South Dakota, and community spread of the virus is not happening in South Dakota at this time, health officials said.

Of the nine, only one death has been reported: a man from Pennington County in his 60's who also had underlying medical conditions. It remains unclear if the illness directly caused his death.

The rest are all being treated at home, officials said.

The cases are as follows:

1 in Beadle County

1 in Charles Mix County

1 in Davison County

1 in McCook County

3 in Minnehaha County

1 in Pennington

1 in Bon Homme

Noem said it was encouraging that just one new case was reported Friday, but that South Dakotans need to remain diligent.

"Common sense is still something we're encouraging everyone to use in regards to large events they attend," she said.

She asked businesses and employers to be flexible and understanding as parents make decisions about childcare and day cares. And she suggested day cares consider cleaning more regularly.

The state also received new guidelines for testing from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, state officials had about 1,900 tests for only 800 people, with each person having to be tested twice, health officials said earlier this week.

As of Thursday night, the CDC has given guidance for only one specimen to be taken from each person for testing, which essentially doubles the state's testing capacity, Noem said. State officials are also having regular calls with CDC officials, and working with local leaders.

The state is also bringing commercial lab testing capabilities online, with at least one health system already starting to use the option, state officials said. And more testing kits could arrive any day, she said. Avera and Sanford health systems both hope to have testing capabilities for individuals by sometime next week with results ready in an eight-hour turnaround time, hospital representatives said during a second press conference with Noem on Friday afternoon in Sioux Falls.

Patients won't be charged for the tests, said Kim Malsam-Rydson, South Dakota's health secretary. Noem emphasized though that those not feeling well needed to call their healthcare providers ahead of time, to go through the protocol the CDC has laid out before being tested, she said.

Not calling ahead could complicate the process, she said.

"We see trends going our direction," Noem said. "The things we're implementing today and for the next week are proactive. We're going to make sure we're keeping people safe."

More:Coronavirus in South Dakota: Confirmed cases, latest news and updates