Photo Provided Members of the Jefferson County Health Department held a general roundtable session with community leaders Wednesday regarding updates on the possible impact of coronavirus. The group also held a public health emergency preparedness tabletop exercise.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday ordered Ohio schools closed for three weeks beginning at the end of the day Monday to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, officials at Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville announced there will be no classes at the college’s Steubenville and Youngstown campuses on Monday and Tuesday, following this week’s spring break, so administrators and faculty can decide which on-campus courses may continue online.

DeWine’s order takes effect at the close of the day Monday and runs through Friday, April 3. DeWine said the decision will be evaluated as time passes, including whether to extend it. Despite the announcement, some districts, including Cleveland and Columbus, announced they’re shutting down beginning Monday.

The order applies to all K-12 schools, public and private, but not preschools or daycares. It doesn’t cover extracurricular events like sporting events or performances. DeWine said those would be up to districts, although those might be covered by an order also issued Thursday prohibiting gatherings of over 100 people.

Since one in four Ohio school children is eligible to receive lunch for free or a reduced cost and often eat breakfast and lunch at school, there are concerns about what they’ll do for meals during the closure. DeWine and state Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said the state is examining what federal rules could be waived to allow distribution of food outside schools. Acton also said there’s a role for charities to play as they already do when schools are not in session. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks also said it’s ready to help. In Cleveland, organizers are finalizing plans to continue providing breakfast and lunch for city students by designating pick-up locations for bagged meals or using school buses to deliver food.

In total, more than 700,000 children qualify for the free or reduced-cost meals.

DeWine also said he’s aware the closure could affect districts’ preparation for state-mandated tests, but that’s something that may have to be examined because of the nature of the crisis.

“If we can’t have testing this year, we can’t have testing this year. The world will not come to an end if we don’t have testing,” the governor said.

The state’s largest teacher’s union commended the decision in a statement Thursday. Ohio Education President Scott DiMauro said the organization “understands the sacrifice this is going to entail for all Ohioans but agrees this is the best action at this time.” OEA represents 122,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.

∫ Locally, Harrison Hills City School District closed Wednesday and planned to remain closed until at least until March 18. That decision came after administrators were informed by the Harrison County Health Department that “an individual associated with our school has had direct contact with an event where other individuals are displaying symptoms of COVID-19,” the district said in a news release.

∫ The Union Local School District concluded its classes for the week on Thursday. Classes for today already had been canceled so that teachers could have time to prepare to provide online instruction in the event of an extended closure. That planning session will go ahead as scheduled, and the district will close completely at the end of the day today.

∫ In Steubenville, EGCC officials met Wednesday to determine their next move.

“Based on other Ohio colleges and universities, such as Ohio State University, Eastern Gateway Community College is preparing plans for more flexible telecommuting opportunities, where appropriate, for faculty and staff during this time,” said interim President Michael Geoghegan.

An official decision regarding on-campus classes is expected by Tuesday. The college’s Police Academy, ASPIRE and work force development programs will continue as scheduled beginning Monday, and its off-campus clinicals will continue as scheduled with any changes to come at the direction of the clinical location.

Online courses previously scheduled for Monday and Tuesday will resume on those days.

College officials said based on the state’s guidelines, travel deemed non-essential has been canceled as well as community events, including a March 31 career fair.Updates will be posted at egcc.edu/covid-19/.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus, or COVID-19, a pandemic on Wednesday. That means the illness, first identified in Wuhan, China,is occurring over a wide geographic area and is affecting a large proportion of the population. It is a respiratory illness that causes relatively mild symptoms in most healthy people, but it can cause severe symptoms and even death in the elderly or those with existing health problems.

The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to practice good hygiene and avoid close contact with people who are sick. DeWIne recommends that people follow the guidance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet when possible. In general, wash your hands often, disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and avoid touching your face.