Laura Gensel and her son Jaykob arrive at Kistler Elementary school in Wilkes-Barre on Monday to pick up the school lunch and dinner. Laura suffers from asthma and is worried about the corona virus.<strong></strong>
                                 Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Laura Gensel and her son Jaykob arrive at Kistler Elementary school in Wilkes-Barre on Monday to pick up the school lunch and dinner. Laura suffers from asthma and is worried about the corona virus.

Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

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HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf extended a shutdown order Monday to the entire state of Pennsylvania in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus, although he also maintained that he will not send the National Guard or state police to force businesses to close or stop events.

Wolf acted in similar fashion as neighboring states, including Ohio, New York and New Jersey, as he closed schools statewide and a range of government offices in the days leading up to Monday.

The shutdown of nonessential government offices and nonessential business activity will begin Tuesday and last for at least two weeks, he said.

“This isn’t a decision that I take lightly at all,” Wolf said during a news conference at the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. “It’s one that I’m making because medical experts believe it’s the only way we can prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed by patients.”

State-owned liquor stores were directed to shut down after being open today, St. Patrick’s Day, and restaurants were to end dine-in service.

Wolf had in recent days issued similar orders for four heavily populated southeastern Pennsylvania counties — Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery — where the state has confirmed most of its cases of COVID-19, while Philadelphia took a similar step Monday.

The number of positive cases in Pennsylvania grew Monday, surpassing 75.

Wolf’s order is a blend of voluntary and mandatory actions. For instance, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said it was suspending gambling operations for all casinos. Wolf on Sunday night ordered bars and restaurants in five counties to close dine-in service and said businesses that do not adhere to the order could face penalties.

Still, he also said that he would not use force to close businesses, but he urged people to understand that all Pennsylvanians are in the fight together and said they owe it to one another not to spread the disease.

“People will be making their decisions what they do with their lives all across the commonwealth for the next days and weeks and months,” Wolf said in response to a reporter’s question about racetracks refusing to close unless forced. “What we ought to do is think not what should we do in terms what the law is, but what should we do in terms of what we owe to our fellow citizens.”

Wolf’s orders in recent days have often caused confusion and required clarification or adjustments.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court gave local judges the ability to shut down county courthouses as needed and the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchanges will no longer take cash or credit cards.

A look at other developments in Pennsylvania:

• Cases confirmed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health exceeded 75 as of Monday. The majority of confirmed cases have been in southeastern Pennsylvania. There was still only one in Luzerne County.

• The number of medical professionals getting infected with the fast-spreading COVID-19 in Pennsylvania is growing.Meanwhile, hospital systems are increasingly restricting hospital visits and opening local testing sites.

• The Wolf administration’s definition of nonessential businesses includes community and recreation centers; gyms, including yoga, barre and spin facilities; hair salons, barbers, nail salons and spas; casinos; concert venues; theaters; bars; sporting event venues and golf courses; retail facilities, including shopping malls, except for pharmacies or other health care facilities within retail operations.

• All state casinos, including Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township and Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County, are now closed.

• State parks and forests will close all facilities for two weeks, starting Tuesday, although visitors will still get access to trails, lakes and forests. Parking lots will remain open. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Monday that it will shut down offices, visitor centers, bathrooms, campgrounds and cabins and public events.

• The state Transportation Department closed all centers that issue driver’s licenses and photo licenses for at least two weeks. PennDOT said the closures took effect late Monday.

The agency also extended expiration dates for driver’s licenses, ID cards, vehicle registrations and safety and emissions checks. If they expire before March 31, the new deadline to renew will be April 30.Rest areas and welcome centers are to close today.

•The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said that cash and credit cards will not be accepted at any interchange statewide beginning Monday at 8 p.m. The measure is designed to keep travelers safe, so that they don’t need to stop at tollbooths or interact with tolling personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the commission said.

All tolls will be assessed electronically via E-ZPass or the turnpike’s Toll By Plate program. Travelers are being asked to travel at posted speed limits through tolling points and pay attention when going through interchanges.