CHICAGO (AP) — The CDC is recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more in US be canceled or postponed over next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus is curtailing many elements of American life. Officials and businesses on Sunday took forceful measures to halt the virus’s spread. Theme parks closed, Florida beaches shooed away spring breakers and governors in Ohio and Illinois ordered bars and restaurants shuttered. New York City,  New Jersey and elsewhere are considering similar measures. The nation’s top infectious disease official said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed, but it does not appear President Donald Trump would order that.

 

By TERRY SPENCER and TERESA CRAWFORD Associated Press