COLUMBUS - With schools remaining closed for weeks, kids are liable to get stir crazy.

But health officials say parents should be mindful of the ways they help kids pass the time safely.

Specifically: Playdates are a bad idea.

That's the word from Columbus Community Hospital officials who spoke at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Health experts say viruses can be passed from children easily, so it's safest to keep them as isolated as possible.

"We have to take a step back and think of consequences," said CCH Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Mark Howerter. "Do you have sleepovers now? Maybe we start introducing the idea to our kids that we don't do that now. Say 'We've got some people that are sick. We don't want Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa to get sick. This is how we're going to help them.' Everybody gets to sacrifice."

City leaders say they realize that's a lot to ask, but they also stress that preventing the spread of COVID-19 will take everyone working together, while staying apart.

"This might be an inconvenience to somebody," said Columbus Mayor Jim Bulkley. "It's for the good of the whole. I think that's probably the best that can be said. As I heard the Mayor of Omaha say yesterday: 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' We've got to remember that and recognize that these are extremely different times."

Officials at Columbus Community Hospital said Tuesday they have tested residents for COVID-19, but have had no one test positive yet.

The East Central District Health Department based out of Columbus has recommended that all schools within their district stop face to face instruction by the end of this week.