Many offices, businesses, and organizations in St. Lawrence County have closed, canceled events or amended their operating hours in response to the coronavirus epidemic, and that number continues to grow.

Readers are advised to contact organizers of events they had planned to attend to verify if the event has been canceled or not.

Here is a listing of some of the most recent announcements as of Monday afternoon, March 16.

The St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging has canceled all Health Promotion Programming, SHINE Nutrition Education Programming and Cyber Seniors Programming. Also, the Office for the Aging has closed all congregate dining centers, effective last week. Home delivered meal clients will continue to receive meals. All congregate clients have also been contacted to determine food options. If you are an older adult in need of food or basic necessities or know an older adult that needs assistance, please call our office at 315-386-4730. The Office for the Aging will remain open during this pandemic and is committed to helping older adults during these stressful and uncertain times.

It is critically important that older adults, especially those with chronic health conditions, heed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and remain home, said the office for the aging. Older adults are at a much higher risk of fatal complications of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). If you absolutely must go out, please practice social distancing which means staying away from crowds to reduce the spread of the novel corona virus, or COVID-19. Please keep a distance of six feet between yourself and others at all times. As a community, we all need to practice social distancing to protect those most at risk. Our local healthcare providers will not have the resources to cope with a large influx of sick patients at one time.

Pursuant to recommendations from the state, and in the interest of protecting municipal staff and the public, Canton Village Mayor Michael Dalton and Canton Town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley announced that effective Tuesday, March 17, the Canton Municipal Building at 60 Main Street will be closed through Tuesday, March 31, if not longer.

Municipal business may be transacted via phone and email. A dropbox for utility payments, etc., is available inside the main front door of the municipal building, which remains open at all times. Provisions will be made for making payments online; allowances are being explored for waiving related fees.

Canton Town Court will be closed until April 15 at 1:30 p.m. Notices will be mailed. The court office will remain open at this time.

The Massena Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon has been postponed until further notice, due to concerns with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). If you RSVPed and were not contacted, call 315-769-3525 or email info@massenachamber.com.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton has canceled its annual Antique & Artisan Fair slated April 25 at Canton Central School and closed the Silas Wright House and Red Barn addition at 3 E. Main St., to the public for two weeks in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The closure, which includes use of the association’s archives, is effective now and will continue through March 30. The Historical Association has also canceled two chair caning workshops set Wednesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 25. More information about the Historical Association’s availability and programming will be announced after March 30. Inquiries may be made by emailing info@slcha.org or by calling 315-386-8133.

The Ogdensburg Knights of Columbus Monday Night Bingo and Friday Night Fish Fry are canceled until April 1. The organization will reevaluate the situation at that time.

The Massena Volunteer Fire Department has made the decision to cancel its upcoming chicken barbecue on Saturday, March 21. “As a community-based organization our concern must remain on the needs and well-being of our residents as well of our first responders. The cancellation of this event allows us to focus our efforts on planning and preparation to better serve you through whatever may develop,” said a press release from the department.

Effective immediately all upcoming events and uses of the community room at the Colton Fire Station are canceled until April 20 to avoid exposure to Covid-19 by volunteers who must respond to emergency calls.

The Wednesday Free Meal at Canton United Methodist Church, 41 Court St., will be take out only until further notice. Meals can be picked up at the church from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Call 315-386-4500 for more information.

The Colton Library are now closed pending instructions from town/county/state and the county’s legislative meeting Monday night.

The Robert J Freego Amvets Post 282 in Potsdam will close until further notice.

In Winthrop, all Quad Town Senior Citizens meetings and activities are canceled until further notice.

Massena Public Library will close to the public at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 16, for an indefinite period of time. The library encourages patrons to utilize its ebook and online resources available on the Massena Public Library website. If the public has any questions contact the library at 315-769-9914 or maslib@ncls.org

The TAUNY Center and North Country Folkstore will be closed at least until the end of March, and all programs will be postponed. Check tauny.org and/or follow us on Facebook and Instagram (where we'll be posting regularly) for updates and other online resources the organization will be sharing.

For more information on COVID-19, please contact the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department at 315-386-2325 or call the New York State Department of Health’s Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065.