Private and public schools in counties on the California coronavirus monitoring list should remain closed under the new governor’s guidance.
Thirty-three of California’s 58 counties, which represent more than 80% of the state’s population, are on the watch list.
There is an exception. Local health officials may allow elementary schools to reopen for in-person instruction if the district superintendent requests a waiver.
Newsom on Monday asked these counties to shut down indoor activities such as gyms / fitness centers, places of worship, offices for non-critical sectors, personal care services, hair and barber shops, and indoor shopping malls.
Schools there will have to meet strict criteria for reopening, including physical distance measures and the use of face covers, he said. Newsom also recommended regular coronavirus testing and “rigorous distance learning,” which includes daily live interaction with teachers and other students.
Under the new orientation, staff and students in third grade and up will be required to wear face covers in classrooms. Students in grades kindergarten through two will be encouraged to use them, but will not be required.
The governor also warned that schools could be closed again if more than 5% of the school is positive. A district must close if 25% of its schools are closed within a 14-day period.
Newsom emphasized that “learning is not negotiable” and that “schools must provide meaningful instruction during the pandemic, whether they are physically open or not.”
The state has invested $ 5.3 billion in additional equity-priority funds, Newsom announced. This will be used for additional PPE purchases and is money available to address the digital divide, he said.
Newsom’s decision comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delayed the release of reference documents on the safe reopening of schools, which was expected by the end of the week. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for schools to be reopened, even as the coronavirus pandemic increases in parts of the country, including California.
Earlier this week, some of the state’s largest school districts announced that they would continue full-distance education in the fall, rather than returning students to campus. The decisions of the Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento school districts meant that more than 1 million students would not return to classrooms in August.
CNN’s Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
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