Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recommended the owners of Chicago’s professional teams that statewide major sporting events should be shut down, or played without spectators, until possibly May 1.

The Athletic exclusively broke this news Thursday afternoon and Pritzker announced it to start his 5 p.m. press conference at the Thompson Center with Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County board president Toni Preckwinkle. As of Thursday evening, the number of coronavirus cases in Illinois stood at 32.

“All of the owners that I spoke with told me they completely understood and were more than willing to comply with this guidance,” he said. “I want to thank them for putting the health and safety of the residents of our state above all else.”

Pritzker advised that all community or social events with more than 250 people be canceled or postponed until May 1 and mandated that all events of more than 1,000 people be canceled or postponed immediately.

All of the major sports leagues are currently on hiatus as the country scrambles to contain COVID-19. Major League Baseball announced a delay of at least two weeks on Thursday afternoon. MLS announced a 30-day hiatus Thursday. The NCAA canceled the men’s and women’s basketball tournament, along with spring sports. The College World Series has also been canceled.

Most Chicago teams are trying to figure out what’s next. The Bulls returned home from Orlando after flying there for a game scheduled for Thursday night. Their last game, perhaps of the season, was on March 10 against Cleveland. Eight days earlier, the Cavs played Utah. On Wednesday, the Jazz game was canceled. Utah players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have since tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the Bulls announced they are stopping team activities for the time being and that “no player has reported experiencing any symptoms at this time. Players, coaches and basketball operations personnel have been asked to remain in the Chicagoland area and to exercise good judgment related to personal hygiene and social distancing.”

Cubs president Theo Epstein reacted to the news on Thursday afternoon.

“I had heard that was coming,” he said. “It seems a number of municipalities across Major League Baseball have given directives to the teams about not using the facilities. I think it’s wise for us to follow the direction of the municipalities and Major League Baseball as a whole is obviously factoring that in with what is and isn’t possible going forward.”

“The health and wellness of our fans, players and associates is our team’s top priority,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. “In light of rapidly changing developments resulting from the coronavirus, we believe Major League Baseball’s decision is in the best interests of the safety and well-being of the public and the game of baseball. While our hope is to play baseball at Wrigley Field soon, we will continue to work in close coordination with Major League Baseball, as well as with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and their administrations to ensure that we make the best decisions to protect public health and safety.

“In the meantime, Major League Baseball is preparing a variety of contingency plans in concert with clubs regarding the 2020 regular season schedule and will be offering updates as soon as possible.”

The Bears closed both their offices temporarily and suspended business air travel for team personnel. Draft prospect visits to Halas Hall have been postponed. Employees will work remotely on Friday, March 13. “The health and safety of our players, coaches and all staff is our utmost priority,” the Bears said in a statement. The team’s annual Miller Lite Draft Party, scheduled for April 24 at Soldier Field, has been canceled. It would have exceeded 1,000 people, thus going against Governor Pritzker’s mandate announced Thursday. Fans will receive an email for a full refund to the event. The team is allowed to host 30 players at Halas Hall for a pre-draft visit, an important part of the draft process to get to know the prospects. That is on hold “until further notice.” GM Ryan Pace and his personnel staff will be relying more on watching tape and comparing the notes they already have on draft prospects — a few pro days have already taken place as well. The NFL canceled the annual league meetings, set to be held March 29 to April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla. Head coaches and GMs will be in attendance for the May 19-20 meetings at Marina Del Rey, Calif. That’s where any rules changes will be voted on, along with other football operations decisions. The 2020 league year is still scheduled to begin next week. Teams and agents can begin negotiating contracts on Monday, with signings and trades becoming official Wednesday, March 18 at 3 p.m. Players have to pass a physical at a team facility before a signing becomes official. That process could certainly be delayed, along with free agents who want to visit teams before choosing where to sign.

This story will be updated.

— Patrick Mooney, Kevin Fishbain and Jon Greenberg contributed

(Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)