Disney Officially Closing All Remaining Parks, Hotels and Stores in North America Amid Coronavirus

After making the historic decision to close both Disneyland and Disney World amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., the company has announced they will be closing all remaining parks, hotels and stores in North America this week.

The company shared the decision in a post to their official Twitter page, noting that the changes are being made "in an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and cast members" and are "in line with state and federal guidance."

According to the statement, all of Disney's owned and operated locations at Downtown Disney in California and Disney Springs in Florida will temporarily shut down on March 17. All Disney stores in North America will also close their doors on March 17, though customers will still be able to shop online.

The company also shared that Disney owned and operated hotels at Disney World and Disney's Vero Beach Resort in Florida will close at 5pm on March 20, giving guests a few extra days to make travel arrangements.

On Thursday, March 12, PEOPLE reported that Disneyland and Disney World would both close over the weekend - the latest in a series of tourist attractions and events to shut down.

On Thursday afternoon, Disney announced via Twitter that Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks in Anaheim, California, would close on Saturday.

Several hours later, the news of Disney World's impending shut down, after the parks close on Sunday night, followed with a similar statement from the company, noting that they would shut the Florida resort as well as Disneyland Paris.

The governors of both California and Florida had already declared a state of emergency in order to redirect funds to fight the spread of the virus in their states. On Friday, President Trump declared a national state of emergency.

Regarding the California resort, Disney tweeted on their official Public Affairs Twitter: "While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California's executive order . . . we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disneyland California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month."

The announcement indicates that those who have already planned visits to the park during this time will be able to speak with Disney representatives to change or cancel their plans, and Disney will be providing refunds to those who have hotel bookings during the closure period.

Disney also noted it will continue paying park employees during the closure.

This is the only the second time in history that Disneyland has closed completely for reasons other than weather. Previously, Disneyland shut down following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the national day of mourning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Walt Disney World in Orlando has only ever shut its doors due to the threat of hurricanes - most recently, Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 - and the day after the 2001 attacks.

Neither park has ever closed due to the outbreak of an illness.

Universal Studios Hollywood in California and Universal Orlando Resort in Florida have also announced that it will close on Saturday.

Disney Cruise Line will also suspend departures beginning Saturday through the end of March. Princess Viking cruise lines announced earlier on Thursday that they will cancel itineraries for the next two months.

Several Disney parks in Asia, where this coronavirus outbreak began, have also closed.

Disney's Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo parks were the first to close their gates. The Hong Kong and Shanghai locations are closed indefinitely - though Disneyland Shanghai is beginning to slowly reopen some parts of the resort - while Tokyo Disneyland plans to reopen on March 16.

A spokesperson for Walt Disney World told PEOPLE in the days leading up to the closure that the company had been monitoring the situation, and that the parks had been ramping up their sanitation procedures.

"We know there is new information this week about Coronavirus in Florida," the spokesperson said in a statement on March 3.

"We have very stringent sanitation procedures in place at Walt Disney World Resort. We are in close contact with health agencies for information and guidance, and at this time, we are continuing to communicate to our Cast the importance of preventative measures such as frequent handwashing and rigorous cleaning processes." Adding, "For guest convenience, we have placed additional hand sanitizers throughout our parks and resorts and will adjust our protocols as the situation warrants."

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the best prevention methods against COVID-19 are basic forms of hygiene - careful handwashing, avoiding touching the face, moving away from people who are coughing or sneezing and staying home at signs of illness.

Some experts are also suggesting that communities practice "social distancing," described by Harvard Health as "maintaining enough distance between yourself and another person to reduce the risk of breathing in droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes."

While social distancing may not be enough to halt the virus completely, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reported that it has proven to help slow down the spread of diseases in the past, including during the 1918 flu pandemic.

"Cities that did a lot of social distancing did better than those that didn't," he said.

As of Monday morning, there are 3,602 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., and 66 people have died. California has the third-most cases in the country, with 475. Five people in the state have died. Florida has the sixth-most cases in the country, with 110. Four people in the state have died.