CDC Warns Against Events With More Than 50 People

American life is set to be upended even more by the coronavirus upbreak under a new recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommended Sunday that events with more than 50 people—including "conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies"—should be either postponed for at least eight weeks or canceled outright, CNN reports. "Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities," the CDC said.

"This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus," the CDC said, adding: "This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials." The new guidelines do not apply to the daily operations of organizations like schools and businesses, NPR reports. (More coronavirus stories.)