Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced this afternoon that all neighborhood board meetings are being canceled effective immediately, in an effort to stop the potential spread of the novel coronavirus.

Those who chair the city’s 33 neighborhood boards are being notified, Caldwell said.

“We’re going to cancel it until such time we think it’s appropriate to have people gather in our neighborhoods, in our schools, to share information with our neighbors,” Caldwell said. “It’s a critical function but it’s something we think we should do away with for now.”

The mayor said he made the decision after speaking with City Council members this morning.