WARREN – Bishop Tracy Malone of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church has canceled public worship services through March 27.

According to a statement on the EOCMC website, Malone said “Yesterday, I asked all pastors and every congregation to do everything necessary to protect and care for the health and the well being of our faith communities and our communities at large in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic crisis.

“In the past 24 hours, I have consulted several healthcare sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Ohio Department of Health and local healthcare systems all of which agree that to slow the spread of infection everyone must take precautionary measures and respond appropriately.

“After prayerful discernment and in consultation with the executive staff of the Conference, I urge all East Ohio churches to cancel public worship services through the next two weeks, effective today through March 27.”

For more on this story, read Saturday’s print edition.