Gatherings involving over 500 people are prohibited in New York, said Governor Andrew Cuomo.

According to him, the ban comes into force on Friday at 5 pm, AP reported. 

All Broadway theaters will be closed until April 12 in New York. Cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, are temporarily closed.

Cuomo announced late Wednesday that New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade would be postponed for the first time in its 258-year history. De Blasio later tweeted that the parade will take place at some future date “whether it’s in the heat of summer or on a clear fall day.”

The New York Archdiocese said it would close elementary schools in its system on Monday for at least a week.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio  said two public schools in the Bronx would close for 24 hours because the student had a positive result on COVID-19. But he hopes to avoid drastic measures, such as shutting the city’s entire public school system or its subways. 

Cuomo said 95 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the city. The state has over 320 cases, with the largest cluster located in the suburbs of New Rochelle north of New York.