A wave of closures is part of a regional effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.

By now you've probably heard the phrase "flatten the curve": it's a reference to the graph showing that we can't stop, but we can slow, the COVID-19 pandemic. "In the coming months, most of the U.S. population will be exposed to this virus," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control report.

Slowing the rate of exposure means lengthening the duration of the novel coronavirus in our communities, but it also means the health care system has a better shot at keeping up with new cases. 

In an effort to flatten the curve, the California Department of Public Health has issued the following guidance for at least the rest of the month of March: cancel all gatherings with more than 250 people; and cancel smaller events if the space is too tight to allow guests to be at least 6 feet apart. 

While the overwhelming number of local businesses remain open in Monterey County—where there are zero confirmed cases of COVID-19—venues and schools are announcing closures, and many events have been cancelled or postponed until further notice. 

This is a partial list of event cancellations and venue closures in Monterey County as of March 13. 

• Monterey Bay Aquarium closed, effective 5pm March 12 until at least March 27
• Sunset Center in Carmel is closing to the public at 5pm Friday, March 13 until further notice
• All events at Golden State Theatre until further notice
• All events of more than 50 people at CSU Monterey Bay from March 13-April 24
• Pacific Grove Good Old Days festival cancelled (April 4-5)
• Big Sur Marathon (April 26), postponed 
• Bishop Daniel Garcia of the Diocese of Monterey has advised parishioners that he is granting a dispensation from the obligation to attend mass beginning Sunday, March 14 through the end of March. "We as a church need to do everything we can to protect God's people," Garcia said in a video address on the Diocese's website.
• Old Monterey Marketplace Farmers Market on Tuesdays
• Monterey Peninsula College Farmers Market on Fridays
• Everyone's Harvest Farmers Market in Pacific Grove on Mondays
• Congregation Beth Israel in Carmel is closing at 11pm Friday night, March 13 after Shabbat services for at least three weeks, "by request of local health care officials," Rabbi Bruce Greenbaum announced on March 12. "While some gatherings might be much smaller, and might not take place in our building, most life cycle events will continue. Celebrations might be smaller for a while, but we will still celebrate."
• The final week of the Carmel Jewish Film Festival (March 13-22) is postponed
• Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival cancelled (April 16-19)
• Panetta Institute lecture series at Monterey Conference Center, titled “An Economy on Borrowed Money,” rescheduled from March 16.. “America is at its best when we are tested by crisis,” they say in a statement. 
• Monterey County Spelling Bee, postponed (March 15)
• Final weekend of Matilda at Golden Bough Theatre 
• Henry Miller Memorial Library is postponing all events through March 31
• Address by Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard to the Carmel Residents Association at Sunset Center
• Marina Branch Library’s March 14 movie matinee screening of the film The Farewell is cancelled
• Jeffrey Becom’s book signing on March 14 at Weston Gallery is cancelled. Regular gallery hours are subject to change.
• Watsonville Film Festival, March 12-15, is cancelled, including the related art exhibition reception at Pajaro Valley Arts.
• March events at Center for Photographic Arts, including a March 19 memer’s night and a March 28 gallery talk and book signing, are postponed. The gallery is still open.  
• Whites for Racial Equity meeting on voter suppression, postponed (March 14)

From an earlier post on cancellations and postponements, listed again here:

• EG Conference at Sunset Center, cancelled (April 30-May 2)
• Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca, postponed to Oct. 1-4 (April 16-19)
• Pacific Grove Hootenanny sing-along, cancelled (March 14)
• International Conference of Shopping Centers, rescheduling (March 8-12)
• LinkedIn Corporation at Monterey Conference Center, cancelled (March 22-26)
• Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, cancelled (March 16-18)
• Gonzales Community Summit, postponed (March 7)
• Monterey Symphony cancelled all March events and concerts
• Monterey Threat Financing Forum at MIIS postponed until September (March 16-18)
• 60+ Variety Citrus Tasting and Talk, Monterey Bay, California Rare Fruit Growers, cancelled (March 15)
• Monterey County District 2 Town Hall, postponed to a date to be determined (March 16)
• Sundance in Salinas at CSUMB Salinas City Center, postponed until Oct. 1 (March 18)
• Be Part of the Solution by Dan Bertoldi at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, cancelled (March 11)
• Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History's Night Owl Event, Prehistoric Party, postponed to June 6 (March 14)
• All upcoming events at Middlebury Institute of International Studies have been cancelled until the fall semester
• Carmel Foundation has cancelled all upcoming Wednesday night programs

For more stories and information about COVID-19 see the Weekly's collection of stories at montereycountyweekly.com/coronavirus.