Canada is starting to officially ban public gatherings, effective immediately.

Quebec, Alberta and B.C. announced on Thursday that gatherings of more than 250 people will no longer be permissible due to the growing spread of COVID-19 across Canada.

The ban will prohibit concerts, community events and sports — although the NHL, the NBA, ATP and PGA Tour have officially suspended their seasons, anyway.

To help prevent the spread of #COVID19, we’ve asked event organizers to cancel large gatherings with more than 250 people, including conferences, sporting & community events. It does not include places of worship, grocery stores, airports or malls. https://t.co/sq9X3Ixrx2 1/2 pic.twitter.com/LVcmN3bjgH

— Alberta Government (@YourAlberta) March 13, 2020

Notably, however, the ban will not affect grocery stores, malls, airports, places of worship or schools.

Still, many Canadian universities are already shutting down, as have public schools in Ontario and Quebec.

Canada has yet to impose any federal bans on public gatherings, but the government has released guidelines on when to cancel events which take into account crowd density, exit routes and available medical staff.

Although Ontario has yet to officially ban public gatherings, the province's chief medical officer Dr. David Williams is urging the government to do so.

Ontario public health officer 'strongly advises' people to avoid all non-essential travel outside Canada. 'I am also recommending the immediate suspension of all large events and public gatherings of over 250 people,' Dr. David Williams says.

— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) March 13, 2020

Parliament has been suspended for five weeks following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Live Nation has also suspended all performances across Canada in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.