All public school systems in D.C., Maryland and Virginia will close for at least two weeks, state and local officials announced Thursday and Friday.

Officials in the three jurisdictions have also announced plans to ensure the continuity of free meals for students who depend on them — and teachers and parents have also been working to fill gaps in nutrition.

The latest announcement came on Friday from Virginia governor Ralph Northam, who announced the school closures in conjunction with a number of other measures aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus. Northam’s declaration came after Alexandria, Arlington and Falls Church had already announced they would close until mid-April out of concern about the virus.

[Read the latest updates about coronavirus in our region here.]

“We are taking this action to keep Virginians as safe and healthy as possible, and to minimize exposure to COVID-19,” Northam said, referring to the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said the Virginia Department of Education is encouraging schools to provide students with instructional materials during the closure. Several Northern Virginia school systems had already made the decision to close before Northam’s declaration, including those in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Friday morning that D.C. Public Schools would close through at least April 1.

In a series of early-morning tweets from Bowser and an email to parents from Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, city officials said they would move up a week-long spring break scheduled for April to next week, and from March 24-31 engage in distance learning for students.

All public schools in Maryland are also closed until March 27, as ordered by Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday as part of another sweeping package of protective measures against the virus’s spread across the community. Maryland officials say schools should use scheduled spring breaks as potential make-up days for missed instructional time.

Hogan acknowledged the actions would be disruptive to everyday life, but added: “they could be the difference in saving lives and helping keep people safe.”

City officials also said they would keep 16 schools open during the two-week closure to serve free meals for students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tens of thousands of D.C. students get free breakfast and lunch at school, and both parents and city leaders said alternative arrangements would need to be found to accommodate them if schools closed.

In his email, Ferebee listed the schools that would open to offer meals: Anacostia High School, Banneker High School, Cardozo Education Campus, Columbia Heights Education Campus, Coolidge High School, Jefferson Middle School, Kelly Miller Middle School, Kimball Elementary School, LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, Eastern High School, Ballou High School, McKinley Education Campus, Brookland Middle School, Stanton Elementary School, Walker-Jones Education Campus, and Woodson High School.

In her tweets, Bowser asked charter schools — which are publicly funded but operate independently — to follow DCPS’s schedule and reopen no earlier than April 1. It seemed that many had already reached that decision: on Thursday night Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School told parents it would close for two weeks starting Monday, and D.C. International and Center City did the same on Friday morning.

The announcement is also likely to shutter child care facilities across the city, many of which follow DCPS’s lead on when they close.

Bowser also said that she was authorizing certain city employees and agencies to work remotely.

“Some government operations will be performed fully remotely, while other services will continue to be performed at public buildings, but under modified operations,” she said.

The decision to close schools around the region comes as the coronavirus pandemic has started reshaping life for millions of people. Workers in a variety of industries have started working from home, sporting events and large-scale gatherings have been postponed or fully canceled, and people have been asked to practice “social distancing” to prevent further transmission of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

These schools remain closed but will continue to offer meals to students.

D.C.

D.C. Public Schools: Closed until at least April 1. Meals will be offered to all D.C. students — not just DCPS students — at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday:

• Anacostia High School
• Banneker High School
• Cardozo Education Campus
• Columbia Heights Education Campus
• Coolidge High School
• Jefferson Middle School
• Kelly Miller Middle School
• Kimball Elementary School
• LaSalle-Backus Education Campus
• Eastern High School
• Ballou High School
• McKinley Education Campus
• Brookland Middle School
• Stanton Elementary School
• Walker-Jones Education Campus
• Woodson High School

Virginia

Arlington Public Schools: Schools closed until April 14. School meal information: The school system is finalizing plans to provide free breakfast and lunch to students.

Alexandria City Public Schools: Schools closed until April 14. The school system is finalizing plans for providing meals.

Falls Church City Public Schools: Closed until April 14. Additional details about meal service for students will be provided on Friday.

Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed through April 10. Breakfast will be served from 8-10:30 a.m. and lunch from 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the following locations:

• Annandale Terrace ES
• Bailey’s Primary ES,
• Braddock ES
• Brookfield ES
• Burke School
• Centre Ridge ES
• Crestwood ES
• Cunningham Park ES
• Dogwood ES
• Garfield ES
• Graham Road Community Center
• Fort Belvoir Upper ES
• Hutchison ES
• Hybla Valley ES
• London Towne ES
• Mount Vernon Woods ES
• Providence ES
• Weyanoke ES

Loudoun County Public Schools: Following state guidance, closed until Friday, March 27. Free breakfast and lunch will be served at each school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., outside the school buildings.

Manassas City Schools: Closed until April 14.

Manassas Park City Schools: Closed until April 14.

Prince William County Public Schools: Schools are closed until April 14. The district will provide packaged breakfasts and lunches at select locations throughout the county to anyone under the age of 18; Details on locations and times to be announced.

Maryland

Montgomery County Public Schools: Following guidance from state officials, MCPS schools will be closed through Friday, March 27. County officials said in a press conference late Thursday that the county is committed to providing students with meals, and conversations about the best way to provide them are ongoing.

Prince George’s County Public Schools: Schools will be closed through Friday, March 27. Grab and go lunches can be picked up from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday at the following locations:

• Andrew Jackson Academy
• Benjamin Tasker Middle School
• Buck Lodge Middle School
• Carmody Hills Elementary School
• District Heights Elementary School
• Drew-Freeman Middle School
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School
• Hillcrest Heights Elementary School
• J. Frank Dent Elementary School
• John Bayne Elementary School
• Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School
• Kenmoor Middle School
• Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School
• Longfields Elementary School
• Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School
• Nicholas Orem Middle School
• Port Towns Elementary School
• Samuel Chase Elementary School
• Stephen Decatur Middle School
• Suitland Elementary School
• Templeton Elementary School
• Thurgood Marshall Middle School
• Walker Mill Middle School
• William Paca Elementary School
• William Wirt Middle School

This story was updated to include an announcement from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and to include details on five additional schools where free meals will be provided to students.