PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's largest county took the unprecedented step Friday of mailing ballots for next week's Democratic presidential primary to every voter who normally casts ballots at the polls to ensure they can vote with minimal exposure to the new coronavirus.

Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said the step was needed to ensure voters could cast ballots while minimizing health risks. The closure of polling places at facilities that backed out and expected election worker absences were also considered in the decision.

““My first concern is to protect the health of the voters and staff who work in the polling places while maintaining the integrity of the election," Fontes said in a statement. Anything we can do to minimize human interaction in the polling place is what we must to do.”

Voters who normally vote in person can now just drop off their ballots at election sites. Most Arizona voters already cast ballots by mail.

There is no law that allows Fontes' action, but he said the ongoing health emergency mandates the action and there is not legal prohibition,

The action came as the number of Arizona public school districts announcing closures grew despite state public health officials saying there is not need to do so. At least six districts in metro Phoenix have announced precautionary closures.

Together, confirmed closures will affect about 60,000 of Arizona's 1.1 million K-12 students.

Widespread shutdowns were not necessary because there isn't a broad spread of the virus, state Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ told superintendents in a conference call set up by Gov. Doug Ducey's office Thursday.

“We realize that school closures are an important tool for the mitigation of infection diseases, and there may come a time when that recommendation is made for Arizona,” Christ said.

She said closing schools would impact families and nutrition for students who rely on school breakfasts and lunches. But more was at play, she said.

“For instance, closing schools could actually result in the spread of a disease throughout our communities. If our kids are merely having to go to a different congregant setting for child care or to pick up their lunch and could come into contact with other children who are not in their normal cohort, it could actually extend it,” Christ said.

The state's three public universities and community colleges have announces plans to switch to on-line only instruction to prevent disease spread.

The state Legislature also is affected, with work possibly stopping next week because two majority Republican senators who are needed to pass legislation not backed by Democrats say they will remain at home for now.

Sens. Heather Carter and Paul Boyer told The Associated Press they believe breaking the cycle of disease required social distancing.

“There are folks who are way smarter than we are with a scientific background that are saying it’s seven times more dangerous than the flu," Boyer said. "I just think we need to get a good grasp of what we’re dealing with before we can confidentially say that we ought to keep our door open.”

Senate President Karen Fann said she would meet with House Speaker Rusty Bowers Monday to determine how to proceed.

Boyer and Carter insisted their decision wasn't political, pointing to vulnerable family members they wanted to protect. But they broke with fellow Republicans last year and refused to back a budget deal unless one of their priorities was met.

Fann repeatedly declined to comment when asked if she thought there was a political motive behind the move.

The House and Senate announced Thursday they were barring visitors and would limit testimony at hearings. That bothered Carter.

“We’re at the point in session where we’re debating some of the most important and sometimes controversial bills and limiting testimony is problematic,” Carter said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

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Associated Press writers Paul Davenport, Terry Tang and Jonathan J. Cooper contributed to this report.