New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced March 15 that small theatres, nightclubs, movie theaters, and concert venues must all close, effective 9 AM, Tuesday, March 17. The mandate comes as efforts intensify nationwide to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“Our lives are all changing in ways that were unimaginable just a week ago,” Mayor de Blasio said. “We are taking a series of actions that we never would have taken otherwise in an effort to save the lives of loved ones and our neighbors.”

All bars and restaurants have been ordered closed. New York has become a ghost city!

The news comes on the heels of the CDC’s recommendation that all gatherings of more than 50 people be postponed for at least eight weeks. No word yet about how this would affect the proposed reopening of Broadway April 14.