SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom advises Californians to refrain from nonessential gatherings where people cannot be atleast six feet apart from one another through the end of March amid coronavirus concerns. This includes even small social gatherings.

The California Department of Public Health advisory, issued shortly before midnight Wednesday, also states gatherings of 250 people or more should be postponed or canceled, and gatherings of people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people.

The advisory defines a gathering as something that "brings together people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, or any other indoor or outdoor space.”

The aim is to decrease the spread of the virus before a vaccine is made available.