Millions of Americans whose lives have already been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic learned Monday that they are now subject to even more restrictions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said gatherings of 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed throughout the U.S. for the next eight weeks. It's just one of the ways the CDC recommends increasing social distancing — a phrase few of us had even heard a few weeks ago.

The White House later said people should avoid groups of more than 10 people and older people should stay in their homes.

Officials across the country ordered bars and restaurants to close, shut down beaches and canceled events to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

More than 32 million children will be out of the classroom for weeks after at least 36 states and New York City and Los Angeles closed schools.

Beyond the U.S., borders are closed, flights are canceled and people are being told to stay inside their homes.

"We are at a critical inflection point in this country, people. We are where Italy was two weeks ago in terms of our numbers," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Fox News. "When you look at the projections, there's every chance that we could be Italy."

At least 4,200 people in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. There have been at least 73 deaths in 16 states. The virus has been confirmed in every state except West Virginia.

More than 179,000 people have been sickened by COVID-19 worldwide and more than 7,000 have died as of Monday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard.

Latest Developments

United States:

-The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2998.9 points Monday to close down nearly 13%. It was the Dow's worst drop in three decades and the largest point loss in history. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were both down about 12%.

-The White House issued guidelines Monday for Americans to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Titled "The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America: 15 days to slow the spread," they include advice such as older people should stay home, everyone should should not gather in groups of more than 10 people, schooling should be at home and discretionary travel and social visits should be avoided. If anyone in a household tests positive for the virus, everyone who lives there should stay home.

-President Donald Trump said Monday during a news conference that there are no plans for a nationwide quarantine or curfew. "At this point, not nationwide, but there are some — you know, some places in our nation that are not very affected at all but we may — we may look at certain areas," he said.

-Seven San Francisco Bay Area counties on Monday ordered their 7 million residents to "shelter in place" for the next three weeks. The directive begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and involves San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties. "The most important thing you can do is remain home as much as possible," San Francisco Mayor London Breed posted on Twitter. "There is no need to rush out for food or supplies, as these stores will remain open."

-For the first time since 1945, the Kentucky Derby will not be held in May, according to WDRB-TV. The horse race has been postponed until Saturday, Sept. 5, the report also said.

-Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the state's primary election on Tuesday should be postponed until June, but a judge denied the governor's request Monday night. Ohio is one of four states with primaries scheduled on Tuesday. The others are Arizona, Florida and Illinois.

-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf extended his shutdown order to all of the state's 67 counties as the number of coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania continued to grow, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The shutdown directive, which applies to nonessential businesses, begins at midnight and will be in place for two weeks, said Wolf, who urged residents to “stay calm, stay safe, stay home."

-Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Indiana's first death due to the new coronavirus. The patient had health issues and was in the high-risk category of being over 60, according to Dr. Ram Yeleti, the chief physician executive with Community Health Network.

-Actor Idris Elba tweeted that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

-Major League Baseball announced the opening of the 2020 season has been pushed back indefinitely based on a CDC recommendation that no gatherings with 50 people or more take place for the next eight weeks.

-Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closed all bars, movie theaters, gyms and other sports facilities and limited restaurants to takeout and drive-through service. The measure was set to take effect at 3 p.m. and to last through March.

-On a conference call with a group of governors on Monday, President Donald Trump told them they should try to get needed medical equipment on their own, the New York Times reported. “Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Mr. Trump told the governors during the conference call, a recording of which was shared with the Times. “We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself.”

-Nevada reported its first COVID-19 death, a man in his 60s who lived in Clark County. He had been hospitalized and had underlying medical conditions, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

-The first-stage study of one of many potential COVID-19 vaccines began Monday in Seattle. Eventually 45 volunteers will each receive two shots a month apart in the test designed to see whether the candidate vaccine is safe and could work, the Associated Press reported. The vaccine, code-named mRNA-1273, was developed by the NIH and Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc. Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine against COVID-19.

-All public and private schools in New Jersey, including preschools and colleges and universities, will close Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced. The schools will stay closed "until such time is deemed by health officials to be safe for classes to resume," he said.

-New York will close all of its schools for at least two weeks starting Wednesday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said the state Education Department will issue guidance later in the day. About 86% of the state's public schools had already closed or announced plans to close.

-South Carolina reported its first COVID-19 death, a Lexington County man who was living in the Lexington Medical Center Extended Care Skilled Nursing Facility.

-Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered bars, nightclubs and restaurants to close to in-person patrons through the end of March. They may provide takeout and delivery services.

-Gov. Holcomb also said 273 of Indiana's public school districts are closed, using e-learning days, or on spring break. The Department of Education is working with the remaining 16 school corporations to determine their next steps and needs.

-Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered the state's schools to close by Friday at the latest and remain closed until March 31.

-The U.S. Supreme Court has postponed oral arguments for the rest of the month. In a statement, the court said oral arguments also were suspended in October 1918 during the Spanish Flu epidemic.

-New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with the exception of essential travel, today.

-Walt Disney World announced it will close its hotels in Florida beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.

-Kentucky reported its first COVID-19 death: a 66-year-old Bourbon County man who had other health conditions, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. Beshear also ordered bars to close and restaurants to stop offering dine-in service.

-Chick-fil-A announced it is closing its dining rooms because of the coronavirus. Customers can still get drive-through service or take-out service in some locations, the company said in a statement. Starbucks said it is going to a "to-go" model only in its U.S. and Canadian stores. McDonald's will also close its U.S. dining rooms.

-Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s resort in Florida, was closed Monday for a deep cleaning after several COVID-19 cases were confirmed there last week, CNN reported.

-Two emergency room doctors are in critical condition because of COVID-19, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. One is a doctor in his 40s in Washington state. The other is a 70-year-old doctor who leads emergency preparedness for his facility in Patterson, New Jersey.

-The governors of Ohio and Illinois ordered bars and restaurants to close. Massachusetts restaurants will only be able to serve takeout or delivery food, and gatherings with groups larger than 25 have been prohibited. California ordered all bars, nightclubs, wineries and brewpubs to close, but restaurants can remain open. They must reduce their capacity by half.

-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan closed all restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters at 5 p.m. Monday. All other gatherings involving more than 50 people have been banned.

-Georgia became the second state to postpone a presidential primary. The voting set for March 24 has been postponed until May 19 and in-person early voting has been stopped. On Friday, Louisiana became the first state to postpone its presidential primaries because of the coronavirus.

-Officials for Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach announced Sunday both cities are closing their beaches in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Sun Sentinel reported. In addition, all restaurants and bars in Fort Lauderdale will close at 10 p.m., Mayor Dean Trantalis said.

Worldwide:

-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada's borders are being closed to all but Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with a few exceptions for diplomats, airline crews and and some others, including U.S. citizens, for now. All international flight arrivals will be routed to Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Canada has more than 370 cases of the coronavirus and one death.

-French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered people in the country to stay at home for up to 15 days. Beginning at midday Tuesday, people may leave their homes only for essential duties, Macron said.

-Italy reported another 349 COVID-19 deaths on Monday, bringing the total to at least 2,158, AFP reported. Total cases in Italy now stands at 27,980.

-In his first daily coronavirus update, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said everyone should stop non-essential contact with others, meaning people should work from home where possible and avoid pubs, clubs and theaters, the Guardian reported.

-Spain will close its land borders with France and Portugal at midnight local time Monday. It does not include cargo or nationals or residents returning home, cross-border workers, diplomats doing their work and other exceptional situations, CNN reported.

-Haiti's Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe said flights from Europe, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Latin America are banned for two weeks. Flights from the U.S. are still allowed, he said.

-More than 600 people have been quarantined aboard the Silver Shadow cruise ship in Recife, Brazil, since March 12, according to the Guardian. Two passengers were taken from the ship for coronavirus testing, and one, a Canadian male passenger, aged 78, tested positive.

-Turkey suspended Friday prayers and other communal prayers in tens of thousands of mosques across the country until the threat from the virus dissipates, Ali Erbas, the head of head of religious affairs directorate, said Monday.

-A government order by the Netherlands to close all schools, bars, restaurants, sports clubs and sex clubs until April 6 sent customers rushing to the country’s famed marijuana-selling coffee shops to stock up on pot before the shops closed Sunday, the AP reported.

-Iran reported the number of new infections jumped by 1,053 on Monday, bringing the total to 14,991. The number of deaths jumped by 129 to 853, state television reported. One of the latest victims of the coronavirus was Ayatollah Hashem Bathaie Golpayenagi, a member of the Council of Experts, who died on Monday, the Washington Post reported.

-Greece imposed a 14-day quarantine on anyone entering the country and ordered more shops to close. All restaurants, bar and cafes had already shut down, except for deliveries and take-aways. Deputy government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni said people are required to maintain a 6-foot distance from each other and to avoid cash payments by using credit or debit cards.

-Spain declared a two-week state of emergency and ordered a countrywide lockdown. People will be allowed to leave their homes only to buy food and medicine, commute to work, go to medical centers and banks, or take trips related to the care for the elderly, the young, and dependents, AP reported. Those limitations are effective immediately.

-Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz urged Austrians to self-isolate as he banned public gatherings completely and put further limits on who can enter the country. Sports grounds, playgrounds and other public meeting places will be closed completely.

-The United Kingdom's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday that people over 70 will be asked to self-isolate "in the coming weeks." He said the government next week will publish an emergency bill that will "give the government the temporary powers we will need to help everyone get through this."

-The Vatican has closed its Easter masses and Holy Week events to the public. The closings also affect Palm Sunday events on April 5.

-Lebanon closed its airport, borders and ports, and told residents to stay in their homes, late Sunday, according to CNN.

-Germany announced Sunday it is restricting border crossings to cargo transports and commuters who cross the border for work.

-Kenya has blocked travelers from "any country with reported coronavirus cases," according to a press release from Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's office. The government also is closing all of Kenya's schools and urging workers to work from home.

-Ireland ordered all pubs and bars to close until at least March 29.

-The Netherlands announced a lockdown that will close most schools and child care facilities, restaurants, cafes, gyms and sporting clubs. It is set to last until April 6.