- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that schools in all 32 counties on the state’s “watch list” could not reopen in the fall unless they remain off the list for two weeks in a row.
- Thirty-two of the state’s 58 counties are on the watch list due to increasing cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations.
- The state’s two largest school districts announced Monday that they would hold remote classes.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered schools within the 32 counties on the state’s “watch list” to run remote classes this fall.
At a press conference Friday, Newsom said schools in the counties could not reopen with physical classes until they are, and remain, off the list for two consecutive weeks. Even then, school districts and public health officials will play a hand in deciding whether and when they will reopen, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. For schools that are reopening, third graders and above must wear masks, the governor said.
All 32 counties, out of 58 in the state, are on the watch list due to a large number of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. Most of the Bay Area counties, including San Francisco and Santa Clara, are listed, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The announcement comes as California, like other states, continues to hold back reopening plans amid growing confirmed cases of COVID-19. There are at least 356,000 confirmed cases in the state, with 7,345 deaths reported.
On Monday, the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts, the state’s largest, announced that they would stick to distance education when the school year begins in August, CNN reported.
