In a live briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a statewide ban on gatherings of more than 500 people to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

Cuomo said the ban is part of the state’s “density reduction” guidelines that will go into effect on Friday at 5 p.m. Schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and mass transit hubs are exempt from the ban.

Under the ban, Broadway will also reportedly go dark beginning on Thursday evening. The state has also limited its subway schedule due to a drop in passengers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the New York Department of Health, the state of New York has 216 confirmed cases of COVID-19. New York City has reported 52 of these cases, the agency said.

New York City joins other communities that have canceled or postponed their St. Patrick’s Day parades.

In the sports world, Major League Baseball has suspended its spring training and has postponed opening day at least two weeks, ESPN reported. The National Hockey League has also joined the National Basketball Association in postponing all games during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the news outlet.

The Major League Soccer also reportedly postponed games for the next 30 days while U.S. Soccer has canceled upcoming matches. In college sports, the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 have all canceled their conference tournaments, ESPN said.

Times Square
Pedestrians and cars pass through Times Square April 6, 2004 in New York City. Times Square's 100th anniversary is being celebrated this year, with the official anniversary coming on April 8, the day New York City Mayor George McClellan officially renamed the area after the New York Times offices originally moved to the area. Times Square is probably the most famous urban parcel in the world. Getty Images/Mario Tama
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