Mothers-to-be spend months perfecting their birth plans. And while births often don't go according to those plans, most women find comfort in knowing they have support — and at least one person advocating for their wishes. Yet thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, this may not be the case for women delivering babies in the next few months.

Hospitals across the country are limiting visitors and the number of people who can be in a room with a woman while she gives birth.

One hospital in New York City has enacted the strictest policy yet: Banning partners from delivery rooms.

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The federal government on Monday delayed upcoming hearings for asylum-seekers who have been detained and are awaiting U.S. court proceedings in Mexico.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that detainees who have hearings within the next month under the Migrant Protection Protocol program — also known as “Remain in Mexico” — will be rescheduled.

The department said that migrants should present themselves to border agents on their previously scheduled dates to get a new court hearing.

A coalition of lawyers and judges called on the government last week to shutter immigration courts and delay hearings for migrants in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Hawaii and Alaska ordered businesses shuttered and told residents to stay home on Monday, becoming the latest states to implement sweeping measures in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus.

In Hawaii, where 77 cases have been confirmed, Gov. David Ige said that beginning Wednesday, people should leave their homes only to go to the grocery store, bank or another “essential” business. He said outdoor exercise is allowed as long people remain six feet apart from each other.

“The threat of COVID-19 is unprecedented, and it requires even more actions,” he said.

In Alaska, officials closed hair salons, barbershops and other businesses where people gather. Visitors from out of state will also be required to self-quarantine for two weeks. The orders go into effect Tuesday and Wednesday, Alaska Department of Health Commissioner Adam Crum told reporters.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it a crime to excessively stockpile personal protective equipment that is needed by medical personnel fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Attorney General William Barr says the Justice Department has already launched investigations into people who are hoarding supplies and price gouging. 

“If you are sitting on a warehouse with surgical masks, you will be hearing a knock on your door,” he said. 

The executive order allows the president to designate some items as “scarce.” No specific items have been identified yet and the Justice Department will work with Health and Human Services to enforce the president’s order.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a wave of restaurant, bar and casino closures across the country, as state officials from California to Vermont have scrambled to reduce large gatherings of people to limit the spread of COVID-19. According to the American Gaming Association, at least 973 commercial and tribal casinos — or 98 percent of all gaming properties in the United State — have closed, directly affecting about 649,000 casino gaming employees.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's statewide order last Tuesday shutting down casinos and restaurants for 30 days — which police began enforcing Friday — came after health officials reported the state's first coronavirus death, a Clark County man in his 60s. As of Monday afternoon, there were 245 reported coronavirus cases in the state and four deaths.

The impact of the sweeping closures was felt immediately in tourism-reliant Las Vegas. It's a city where card dealers, servers, bartenders, housekeepers and others keep the 24/7 revelry running for about 40 million visitors a year. By early Wednesday morning, after the governor's order, barricades were placed outside casino doors. Cash machines were emptied. Slot machine screens were turned off. Tables had been wiped down and bar stools stored.

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More than 100 New York Police Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News.

One hundred of those infected are sworn officers, the official said. Twenty-nine are civilians. They are among more 2,400 employees who are out sick.

The department employs 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilians.

The NYPD distributed 75,000 face masks to its officers over the weekend, but the official said the number of infected employees is expected to rise “given the nature of the virus.”

The official added that the employees' absences have so far had little impact on public safety.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Monday issued a statewide stay-at-home order aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, telling residents the disease is “really serious stuff.”

The order, which goes into effect Tuesday morning, urges West Virginians to stay at home for anything beyond essential travel. It also closes casinos, restaurants, parks and other places or limits the number of people who can visit them.

The state has seen the fewest number of positive cases in the country, but Justice said that a recent diagnosis was confirmed at a nursing home — a signal that "community spread" had begun.

West Virginia joined New Mexico, Washington state and Louisiana, which issued similar orders Monday. California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and New York already had stay-at-home policies in effect.

Washington has joined other states in issuing a "stay home" order that urges residents to shelter in place. 

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the order Monday, telling residents they must stay home unless they are "pursuing an essential activity." The governor also asked that people resist the urge to hoard goods during their grocery shopping, which is deemed essential under the order. 

"If each of us maintains our normal shopping habits, we will avoid the problem of empty shelves," Inslee said.

Nearly 2,000 cases have been confirmed in Washington state, where 95 deaths have been blamed on the coronavirus. 

Team USA's Olympic and Paralympic Committee released a statement urging the International Olympic Committee to postpone the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo.

Team USA surveyed more than 1,700 athletes, just under half of the country's Olympic and Paralympic competitors, about continuing with the games as planned. Nearly 70 percent of the athletes said their training has been severely impacted by public health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, and about 68 percent said they don't believe the games could be fairly competed if they continue as scheduled. 

"To that end, it’s more clear than ever that the path toward postponement is the most promising, and we encourage the IOC to take all needed steps to ensure the Games can be conducted under safe and fair conditions for all competitors," the USOPC statement said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged Monday that the Tokyo Games could be delayed due to the coronavirus as countries began threatening to keep their athletes from traveling to Japan.