From Ohio to Washington State, New Bans of Large Gatherings to Stem the Coronavirus

Note: This story was updated after publication to add new information.

State and local government leaders striving to stem the spread of coronavirus ramped up prohibitions on large gatherings on Wednesday, saying they needed the restrictions in order to slow the number of new infections in their communities. 

From Washington state to San Francisco to Ohio, lawmakers announced restrictions that would temporarily ban events like festivals and concerts and leave sporting arenas empty. 

In the Seattle region, where the coronavirus first took hold in the United States, lawmakers announced the most restrictive prohibitions. Gov. Jay Inslee issued an executive order that bans gatherings of more than 250 people in three counties. Leaders from King County, which includes Seattle, said they would prohibit smaller events unless organizers take steps to mitigate any spreading of the new coronavirus. 

“It is clear that our state needs a more vigorous and comprehensive and aggressive position if we are going to slow the spread of this epidemic,” Inslee said Wednesday at a press conference. 

In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed announced a ban on mass gatherings of more than 1,000 people. Officials in nearby Santa Clara County had done the same on Tuesday. And Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that he also plans to announce restrictions on large gatherings after the first person-to-person infection was reported in the state. 

Washington currently leads the country in the number of identified coronavirus cases. As of Wednesday, the state had 29 deaths and upwards of 267 presumptive cases. 

Breed is also responding to a relatively large outbreak in the Bay Area. In response to the ban, the Golden State Warriors announced they would play a Thursday night game without fans in the arena. 

“We know that this order is disruptive, but it is an important step to support public health,” Breed said in a statement.

While noting the restrictions on residents of King, Snohomish and Pierce counties in Washington would be “profoundly disturbing” to residents’ daily lives, Inslee said it was necessary to reduce social interaction in order to slow the spread of the outbreak. 

At a news conference about the measures, which will be in place at least through the end of the month, Inslee and other officials said they are looking at the rate of expansion of Covid-19 cases and seeking to “flatten the curve,” both reducing the number of people who get the respiratory illness and the rate at which people contract the disease. Officials hope that will prevent the health care system from getting overwhelmed by critical cases. 

“It is not going to be easy,” Inslee said. “We are going to have to change our lives in ways that are uncomfortable if we are going to succeed as a community.”

Sporting events, concerts, faith gatherings, conferences and other events of more than 250 people will all be banned under an emergency executive order. The order also prohibits large family or social gatherings, like a big wedding. 

When asked what the penalty would be if people don't comply, Inslee said, "The penalties are you might be killing your granddad if you don't do it."

"I'm serious about this, the principle reason this is going to work is for people to understand the consequences of lack of community responsibility," he added.

Dow Constantine, the county executive in King County, said his order prohibits smaller gatherings unless organizers take steps to ensure that they can be as safe as possible. 

Jeff Duchin, the King County health officer, said if people do hold events, county officials expect organizers will encourage older people not to attend, as well as generally "limit the close contact of people to six feet." Groups that hold smaller events will also need to screen employees for coronavirus symptoms and offer proper hand sanitation. 

President Trump delivered a national address Wednesday night about the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, advising people to follow local guidelines and for those who fall ill to stay home. He also said the U.S. would halt travel from Europe for 30 days beginning Friday, but did not speak in detail about the steps being put in place to slow the spread in this country. Instead, Trump focused on financial aid and tax cuts that could assist people and businesses negatively impacted by the outbreak.

The action by state and local leaders came on the same day the World Health Organization officially classified the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. This week in Italy, where cases have mounted and hospitals are struggling to deal with critical patients, a national lockdown ordered on Monday has cleared the streets of people. 

Inslee said he was not ordering mass closures of schools on Wednesday, but suggested that district officials should review contingency plans and be prepared for the possibility of closures. Shortly after the news conference, the Seattle Times reported that Seattle Public Schools will close for two weeks beginning Thursday.

School districts across the country have struggled with whether to cancel classes in response to the spread of the coronavirus, concerned with the impact that closures will have on working parents, whether schools have the resources needed to hold online classes, and how to provide food to low-income students who rely on school lunches.

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to shut down public gathering places, including schools, for two weeks within a one-mile zone in the city of New Rochelle that the governor described as a hotspot for a virus.

With the number of cases of coronavirus rising, local governments across the country have been making decisions about cancelling special events expected to draw large crowds, such as St. Patrick’s Day parades and festivities, or suggested that organizers reschedule them. 

Cities including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh followed the lead of Dublin, Ireland and announced cancellations of St. Patrick’s Day events. Not everyone is cancelling large events however. In St. Louis, organizers said the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival held in the city’s traditionally Irish Dogtown neighborhood were still on.

In Washington, D.C., city health officials recommended that large gatherings be postponed or canceled through at least March 31. The recommendations extended to gatherings of more than 1,000 people, like conventions or conferences. Health officials also suggested that organizers of social or entertainment events where large crowds are anticipated should also reconsider hosting the events. The suggested ban on gatherings falls amid the dates of the annual cherry blossom festival, which encompasses some of the city’s most popular events. Organizers said they plan to cancel at least some of the events. 

Among events cancelled across the country, not even a conference on the coronavirus was spared. The Council on Foreign Relations canceled a roundtable event called “Doing Business Under Coronavirus” that had been scheduled Friday in New York.