LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The information about the Coronavirus is coming in at warp speed.  We want to keep everyone as informed as possible and we will be updating this "blog" with information as it comes in to Spectrum News 1.

9:30 pm Governor Andy Beshear Releases Updated Patient Numbers on Social Media

7:04 pm Kentucky General Assembly

The Kentucky General Assembly postponed the 2020 session until March 17.  The Senate and House will not convene, as previously scheduled, on Friday, March 13 or Monday, March 16.

Senate President Robert Stivers, House Speaker David Osborne, Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey, and House Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins released a joint statement saying, “The General Assembly continues to support the efforts of Governor Beshear and Kentucky’s public health community to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 virus. After much careful consideration, we have decided to exercise an abundance of caution and postpone legislative business on Friday, March 13 and Monday, March 16. This will not affect the number of legislative days left in this session. However, it will provide an opportunity to evaluate safety procedures as we move through the remainder of session. We anticipate resuming normal legislative business on Tuesday, March 17.”

6:06 pm Jefferson County Public Schools Update

Dr. Marty Pollio announces Jefferson County Public Schools will be closed Monday, March 16 through April 6. Supplemental materials will be given to students Friday, March 12.  Students who need food assistance will be receiving items via various partners.

All in-town field trips for Friday are canceled. All JCPS activities will be canceled tomorrow through April 6.  

Pollio says they will be sharing a lot of information to families and he understands this is a hardship, but safety comes first.  The first nine days will be treated like snow days. The last day of school right now will be June 10, 2020.  

All out-of-state travel has been canceled for students and faculty.

Lunches will be served at various sites. Please scroll down this page, those sites were posted at 3:23 pm.  These meals are free for students.

During the time that students are out of school, JCPS will clean all classes and busses.  

If parents have questions, please go to the JCPS website. 

5:43 pm Louisville Catholic Schools

The Archdiocese of Louisville announced all Catholic schools will be closed Monday, March 16 through April 3. All Catholic school activities are also canceled.

Each individual school will communicate directly with parents about study requirements for their child's studies.

5:00 pm Governor Andy Beshear 5pm Update

Governor Beshear says there are two presumptive positive tests, 1 in Jefferson County and another in Fayette County. Both patients are in isolation. One at home and another in a hospital.

Governor Beshear recommends all Kentucky schools stop in-person classes for the next 2 weeks beginning Monday due to COVID-19 concerns. This is a recommendation so superintendents can open cafeterias open and help those children that need it. 

4:57 pm Kentucky Derby Festival

The Kentucky Derby Festival is postponing events scheduled through April 5.  At this point, Thunder Over Louisville is not affected.  The events being postponed are:

• Spelling Bee set for Saturday, March 14
• Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Student Art Contest set for Monday, March 16
• Academic Challenge set for Saturday, March 21
• Spring Fashion Show on Thursday, March 26
• FamFest on Friday, April 3
• Fillies Derby Ball on Saturday, April 4

The Festival is also looking into alternatives to race training.

“This is about public health and safety and at the Derby Festival that is always our top priority,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We have a responsibility to the community, who has supported the Derby Festival for more than 60 years, to help with this effort.” Gibson went on to say, "As we have been over the past several weeks, we will be in constant contact with all our partners in the Mayor’s Office, Governor’s Office, and other agencies to closely monitor the developments and announce any additional changes as needed.”

4:54 pm Louisville Metro Coronavirus Update

Mayor Greg Fischer updated the coronavirus cases in Jefferson County.  There are currently two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Louisville. The newest patient is in isolation; the city has no additional information on that person. The first patient, a 69-year-old male traveler who tested positive on Sunday, has been discharged from Norton Brownsboro Hospital and is finishing his isolation at home.

Mayor Fischer also announced effective immediately through April 5, all events hosted or permitted by Louisville Metro Government or were scheduled to be held ina Louisville Metro facility will be postponed. These include the Nulu Bock Fest and the remaining Triple Crown of Running marathon series.

The libraries and the Louisville Zoo are all currently opened. However the zoo has halted its behind-the-scene tours.

Metro Council filed an emergency ordinance today to take $2.7 million surplus earmarked for pensions and moving it to the Office of Resilience for emergency food and housing funding.

4:27 pm Disneyland

The California amusement park is shutting down for only the fourth time in history, according to the New York Times.

4:17 pm NCAA Cancels Remaining Winter & Spring Championships

NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors have now canceled all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. Earlier Thursday, the NCAA canceled DI men's and women's basketball tournaments. The decision is based on the changing COVID-19 threat.

3:50 pm Louisville Orchestra Concerts

The Louisville Orchestra is canceling performances scheduled for this weekend — Friday, March 13 at 11 am and Saturday, March 14 at 8 pm at the Kentucky Center.

. “Out of an abundance of caution and a concern for everyone involved in these performances, we believe cancelling these concerts is the best course of action for our community and stakeholders at this time,” says John P. Malloy, president of the LO board.

TICKET DONATION or REFUND INFORMATION

These options are available to those who purchased tickets to the Louisville Orchestra concerts on March 13 & 14, 2020.

1. Donate your tickets and receive a gift acknowledgement for the value of the donation. Ticket donations can be made online by emailing to info@louisvilleorchestra.org (name, phone, CID, seat locations), by phone, or in person.

2. Receive a refund for the value of the ticket. Please call the ticket office that handled your purchase – either the Kentucky Performing Arts (all online single tickets, drive-thru and walk-up) at 502-584-7777 OR Louisville Orchestra (all subscribers) at 502-587-8681.

Tickets do NOT have to be returned before the performance. Ticket refund requests and donations will be accepted for these performances through March 31, 2020.

3:33 pm - Maker's Mark & Jim Beam Distilleries

Maker's Mark Distillery is temporarily suspening tours and all visitation at the distillery in Loretto, Kentucky beginning Monday, March 16. They understand the inconvenience but are doing it to be cautious. Jim Beam in Clermont, Kentucky is doing the same thing.

3:23 pm JCPS Emergency Feeding Sites

In the event that Jefferson County Public Schools must close due to coronavirus, emergency feeding sites have been established.  If needed, lunch will be served at these locations from 10 am until 1 pm, Monday through Friday, drive-thru and walk up. There will be one meal per child present.

3:10 pm MLB

The rest of spring training has been canceled and the Major League Baseball regular season will be delayed at least for two weeks amid the COVID-19 outbreak. MLB follows the NBA and MLS in suspending their seasons

3:08 pm Lexington Mayor Gorton

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, R-Lexington, recommends all public events in Lexington be canceled or postponed. due to COVID-19 concerns within the city.

“Although this will be painful for some groups, we know we must do everything we can to protect the lives of our citizens,” Gorton said. 

To help answer the community’s questions about COVID-19, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is operating a call center for members of the public. Questions can be asked by calling (859) 899-2222 during regular business hours or emailing COVID19@lfchd.org. 

3:05pm ACC Conference Sports

All sports at ACC institutions have been halted. Here is the statement from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

University of Louisville Vice President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra responded to the athletic suspension by saying, “I know our student-athletes will be disappointed about missing the competition, but their health and safety and that of our coaches, staff and fans is foremost in these decisions.  We will continue to have regular communication with our university and ACC leadership, as well as guidance on a national level from the NCAA, as this continues to evolve.”

2:54 pm Michael Buble Concert Postponed

Entertainer Michael Buble' has postponed several upcoming shows on his "An Evening with Michael Buble'" tour. The tour was set to begin on March 17. Buble' was expected to perform at the KFC Yum! Center on March 28.  Fans should hold on to their tickets for the show is being rescheduled.  The rescheduled date has not been announced.“I was looking forward to getting back on the road but the safety of my fans and my touring family of course take priority under the current circumstances. We will be coming back soon with new dates and everyone will be safe to enjoy a great night out. Stay well everyone,” commented Bublé. 

2:38 pm Kentucky School Updates 

• Robertson County - schools starting Spring Break early
• Rowan County - schools remaining open, but monitoring
• Scott County - schools remaining open, but monitoring
• Shelby County - schools may go to NTI (non-traditional instruction) but no decision yet
• Taylor County - all after school activities closing due to weather.

2:30 pm Southeast Christian Church

Southeast Christian Church says after meeting with medical and safety leaders, the Elders have decided to suspend all large in-person gatherings at all of the church's campuses.

The church will be live, online this weekend for worship on all of its social sites and at online.southeastchristian.org. Sunday services are at 9:15 am, 11:30 am, 2:00 pm, and 8:00 pm.

2:26 pm Kentucky Supreme Court

The Kentucky Supreme Court will hear arguments in a civil cases March 18 through March 20.  Supreme Court proceedings are normally open to the public. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, those interested can watch oral arguments on the Supreme Court's livestream.  KET will also broadcast the proceedings and will later post them on their website.

Spalding University

Spalding President Tori Murden McClure joins other schools and will have students participate in online classes.  Beginning Monday, March 16 all face-to-face classes will be online.  Regular face-to-face classes are expected to resume on Monday, April 6.  Students with computers and can move off campus, are encouraged to do so.  Students without access to technology can use the computers in the school's library, but only if they are symptom-free and have no fever.  

1:54 pm Kansas Cancels Athletics

Kansas of the Big 12 and Duke in the ACC have both announced they are suspending athletics.

1:49 pm KHSAA

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association announced after talking with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Governor's office, the girl's state tournament is being postponed indefinitely at the end of game five, which is currently being played.  Next week's boy's tournament is also postponed indefinitely.  KHSAA says it will try to look for other options to reschedule later in the spring if possible. 

1:35 pm NHL

National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman released the following statement regarding the current season.

1:27 pm Boyle County Schools

Boyle County schools are closing for the next four weeks, March 16 through April 10.  The district will be using all 10 non-traditional instruction (NTI) days approved by the state and they are awaiting approval from the Kentucky Department of Education to extend that an additional 10 days.  Here are some other details:

• March 16-17 - no school or NTI work
• March 18-27 - NTI digital or paper work
• March 30-April 30 - NTI digital or paper - pending KDE approval

If you have questions you can call the district's central office at 859-236-6634

12:32 pm SEC Regular Season Competitions and Championships

The SEC made a second announcement regarding competition at all of its schools.  Because of COVID-19, all regular season competition for teams in all sports on all SEC campuses, including SEC championships are suspended until March 30, 2020.  This does not apply to students currently participating in NCAA competitions.

12:29 pm The Democratic Debate

The Democratic National Committee announced the Democratic debate scheduled for Sunday between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will be moved from Arizona to Washington, DC. 

"Out of an abundance of caution and in order to reduce cross-country travel, all parties have decided that the best path forward is to hold Sunday's debate at CNN's studio in Washington, D.C., with no live audience," DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.

Univision's Jorge Ramos was supposed to be one of the moderators, but he may have been exposed to coronavirus and has stepped down. Univision's llia Calderon' will take his place. The other moderators are CNN's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.The debate will still take place Sunday, March 15 at 8 pm on CNN.

12:27 pm USL Championship

Soccer is the latest sport being halted because of coronavirus.  The Louisville FC play in the USL and the USL released this statement

12:15 pm ACC Tournament

A couple hours after Atlantic Coast Conference president John Swofford announced the ACC Tournament would continue, the ACC changed its mind and canceled the tournament immediately. As regular season champions, the Florida State Seminoles will receive the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

The ACC released a statement saying, "We are disappointed for our student-athletes, schools and fans to have to make this decision; however, the overall health and safety of all involved is the priority.”

Governor Andy Beshear Noon Update

The number of confirmed patients in Kentucky remains at eight. Five in Harrison County, two in Fayette County, and one in Jefferson County. The Jefferson County patient is out of the hospital and is in isolation at home.

Humana has confiremd that an employee who works at the Waterside building downtown has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. Governor Beshear says we cannot confirm this person as a coronavirus patient until their sample is tested at a state-certified lab.

In a statement Humana says, "Out of an abundance of caution, employees who work in proximity to this individual have been notified and have been asked to self-quarantine and follow CDC guidelines. They are out on leave and are being paid as usual." The statement continues, "Humana will continue to coordinate closely with public health authorities and take appropriate steps to protect our employees and members.”

11:54 am Transylvania University

Transylvania University in Lexington, joined other schools across the commonwealth in laying out plans for the semester.

• Spring Break is extended through March 20, 2020.
• Classes will be delivered remotely March 23 through April 3
• Faculty and staff will report for their regular hours the week of March 16-20. This will help with preparing for moving classes online.
• Students are being asked to move out of residence halls if possible through April 5. Students that cannot move can ask for help through the Office of Housing and Residence LIfe.
• International travel is banned immediately and non-essential domestic business travel is also suspended.
• Most campus events through April 5 will be rescheduled.

11:45 am  Big Ten Tournament

Effective immediately, the Big Ten Conference is canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. Indiana University was set to play Penn State on Thursday. 

SEC Tournament

The Southeastern Conference canceled the remainder of the 2020 Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville Thursday.  The Kentucky Wildcats were set to play tomorrow.  The SEC announced since UK was the regular season champion, UK will be awarded the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Conference USA Tournament

Conference USA announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the 2020 Basketball Championships, effective immediately. WKU was set to play UAB today.

Murray State

Murray State University released its plan for students going forward with the Spring semester. Spring Break will take place next Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20.  The university will also be closed Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 20 for the break. Faculty and staff will being on-site online course training on March 13.

Beginning Monday, March 23 classes will resume online or by alternative measures. There will not be any face-to-face instruction through Sunday, April 5.  During this time, Murray State will remain open and staff operations will continue as normal. This goes for all Murray State campuses.

Residence halls and dining options will remain open.  Campus events will be evaulated on a case-by-case basis.

ACC Tournament

Atlantic Coast Conference president John Swofford announced the ACC men's basketball tournament will be played Thursday. He said the situation remains fluid. The University of Louisville Cardinals are set to play the Syracuse Orange Friday at 9 pm. There will be no fans in the arena in Greensboro, North Carolina. The only people allowed in are limited school administrators, student-athlete guests, broadcast television crews, and credentialed media.

Donovan Mitchell

Former Louisville Cardinal and current Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. Mitchell, who played at UofL from 2015-2017, was set to play in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night when his teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. The NBA suspended all games following Gobert's positive test. Mitchell, who is now being treated, visited an Oklahoma City high school prior to the game.