School officials and health experts spent months and countless hours ahead of the beginning of the school year developing plans to bring students back into the classroom safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, about four months into the academic year, many schools completely scrapped their original reopening plans.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed guidelines released by state governors and health and education departments as well as news articles to create a current list of restrictions, re-closures, and safety recommendations for schools in every state.
Daily temperature checks at the door, mask wearing, and staying socially distant were already the new normal. Sudden closures after students or staff tested positive for COVID-19 have now become part of the routine, too. Increasingly, these closures last more than two weeks, with some moving to full-time online instruction at least until the end of the fall semester.
As the U.S. reaches new, disturbing COVID-19 records almost every day, including deaths and hospitalizations, switching to remote learning until further notice — or at least strongly considering switching to remote learning — is not uncommon.
The parameters for shutting down schools for in-person instruction are not uniform and are up to each school to determine. Some have decided to go fully remote only after one confirmed case. Others have waited until dozens of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the school before shutting in-person instruction. New York City Schools, the country’s largest school district, closed down all schools as the city hit a positivity rate of 3%. In-person classes will resume on Dec. 7 only for elementary students whose parents agree their children be tested every week.
All states but Hawaii are now designated as COVID-19 hotspots because cases have increased by more than 5% over the past 14 days, and the average positivity rate is either over 10% or growing substantially, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Though the pandemic continues to worsen across the country, new coronavirus cases and positivity rates vary from district to district — these are the places in every state where the virus is growing the fastest right now.
Click here to see how each state is managing schools amid the pandemic
Alabama
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for nurses and school visitors
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Close to 8.4% of all cases in Alabama have been traced back to schools and kids ages 5-17. At least 6 schools in different counties have moved classes online until various times in November due to too many people having to quarantine.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,327 per 100,000 people — 16th highest (total: 260,359)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.3% — 12th smallest increase (from 239,318 to 256,828)
> Population: 4.9 million
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Alaska
> Mask or face covering rules: Encouraged whenever possible
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature and symptom screening for all
> Re-closing schools: At least 1 school district in Fairbanks is going fully remote starting Nov. 16. Anchorage School District delayed plans for in-person instruction, which was supposed to start in November, until further notice.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,687 per 100,000 people — 25th lowest (total: 34,563)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 17.1% — 2nd largest increase (from 28,863 to 33,797)
> Population: 737000
Arizona
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Sunnyside District, the second largest in Southern Arizona, returned to remote-only after Thanksgiving. 2 school districts in Phoenix moved to full-time online learning from hybrid learning, more districts are considering that option
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,830 per 100,000 people — 24th highest (total: 346,421)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.7% — 25th smallest increase (from 310,850 to 340,979)
> Population: 7.2 million
Arkansas
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for children 10+ on buses, drivers, required for adults and students 10+ in school buildings
> Health screening precautions: Have screening stations, screening signs
> Re-closing schools: At least 21 schools have changed learning plans in November and moved to remote learning. At least one school in Earle School District closed indefinitely.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,452 per 100,000 people — 14th highest (total: 164,310)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.5% — 14th smallest increase (from 150,277 to 161,521)
> Population: 3.0 million
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California
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for adults and Grade 3 and up
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks, hand-washing required before entering school
> Re-closing schools: Many schools are still in zones where transmission is widespread and are not allowed to open for in-person instruction. Schools are required to close when at least 5% of staff and students test positive for Covid-19 within a 14-day period. Also, if 25% of schools in a district are closed due to COVID-19 cases, the school district, too, must close.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,197 per 100,000 people — 10th lowest (total: 1,264,539)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.9% — 21st smallest increase (from 1,144,049 to 1,245,948)
> Population: 39.6 million
Colorado
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for students 11+, required for staff and if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: At-home or on-site symptom screening, temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Gov. Jared Polis has said he would consider closing all schools closed again if that’s needed to get coronavirus cases under control. Students in Aurora started classes in-person at the end of October. Schools across Jefferson County are switching to remote learning.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,234 per 100,000 people — 23rd lowest (total: 241,172)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 15.0% — 5th largest increase (from 206,439 to 237,310)
> Population: 5.7 million
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Connecticut
> Mask or face covering rules: Masks required for all when inside school
> Health screening precautions: Maximize social distancing, students bring their own water
> Re-closing schools: All Bristol schools transitioned to full distance learning. At least 7 school districts switched to fully remote until mid-January.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,399 per 100,000 people — 12th lowest (total: 121,426)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 11.2% — 16th largest increase (from 109,152 to 121,426)
> Population: 3.6 million
Delaware
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for staff and grades 4-12, recommended for Pre-K – 3 grade
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks at home, the state will provide testing for staff and students
> Re-closing schools: The Colonial School District moved all schools to virtual learning until end of November. At least 63 public school students and 110 staff had tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the academic year.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,873 per 100,000 people — 17th lowest (total: 37,456)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 11.2% — 17th largest increase (from 32,995 to 36,698)
> Population: 967000
Florida
> Mask or face covering rules: Up to each school
> Health screening precautions: Set up secondary clinic for kids showing symptoms
> Re-closing schools: COVID-19 cases continue to rise in South Florida as positivity rates vary between 7% and 20%, up from under 5% in October when students returned to school for in-person instruction. There are no plans to move to online learning yet.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,831 per 100,000 people — 23rd highest (total: 1,029,030)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 5.9% — 4th smallest increase (from 961,676 to 1,018,160)
> Population: 21.3 million
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Georgia
> Mask or face covering rules: Personal choice
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks for all
> Re-closing schools: 2 Southeast Georgia middle schools closed until Nov. 20 due to staffing shortages after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,120 per 100,000 people — 20th lowest (total: 433,353)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 4.4% — 2nd smallest increase (from 411,002 to 428,980)
> Population: 10.5 million
Hawaii
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screenings
> Re-closing schools: There is at least 1 COVID-19 cluster linked to a school in Oahu. Some schools are extending the first phase of reopening for in-person instruction, which consists of half-day classes for vulnerable students.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 1,291 per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest (total: 18,342)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 3.1% — the smallest increase (from 17,501 to 18,044)
> Population: 1.4 million
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Idaho
> Mask or face covering rules: Required by some districts
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks for all
> Re-closing schools: Valley County is the third to be moved to a “red” catgeory, indicating that transmission is very high; all schools in Boise School District went fully remote after Thanksgiving break. The Emmett School District now requires all students and staff to wear masks.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,970 per 100,000 people — 8th highest (total: 104,734)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.5% — 19th smallest increase (from 96,503 to 104,734)
> Population: 1.8 million
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Illinois
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for all students age 5+
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screenings and temperature checks for all
> Re-closing schools: At least 10 schools have confirmed coronavirus outbreaks. Chicago Public Schools will return to in-person learning beginning in January, but high school students will continue remote. Catholic schools now have the option to transition to remote learning if they choose
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,962 per 100,000 people — 9th highest (total: 759,562)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.2% — 23rd smallest increase (from 685,467 to 748,603)
> Population: 12.7 million
Indiana
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for school staff
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: All schools in Marion County are going fully remote at least until Jan. 15. At least 17 school districts — or about half of school districts in Indiana — have moved to full-time virtual learning for various periods of time.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,371 per 100,000 people — 15th highest (total: 359,430)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 12.3% — 14th largest increase (from 312,521 to 350,970)
> Population: 6.7 million
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Iowa
> Mask or face covering rules: Not recommended but allowed
> Health screening precautions: Up to each school
> Re-closing schools: All schools in the Iowa City Community School District went fully remote as of Nov. 16. More schools are applying for waivers to hold all classes remotely for 2 weeks.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 7,503 per 100,000 people — 3rd highest (total: 236,792)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 6.8% — 7th smallest increase (from 218,947 to 233,866)
> Population: 3.2 million
Kansas
> Mask or face covering rules: REquired for staff, visitors, and most students
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks for staff
> Re-closing schools: Schools in small and big towns have moved classes online full-time; Johnson County schools are all in the Red Zone, meaning transmission is very high. Wichita school district may soon close schools due to a shortage of teachers, too many need to quarantine.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,566 per 100,000 people — 13th highest (total: 162,061)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.7% — 24th smallest increase (from 147,797 to 162,061)
> Population: 2.9 million
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Kentucky
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended or required, depending on local virus transmission level
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: All Kentucky public and private K-12 schools were moved to online instruction. Middle schools and high schools will remain in remote learning until Jan. 4, 2021. Schools in Perry County were closed for in-person and virtual learning, adding makeup days at the end of the academic year.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,180 per 100,000 people — 21st lowest (total: 186,765)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.2% — 22nd largest increase (from 166,139 to 183,168)
> Population: 4.5 million
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Louisiana
> Mask or face covering rules: Required, students who can’t wear them will be in static groups
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Several Baton Rouge schools went back to fully remote learning for various periods of time. At least 1 high school in Lafourche Parish closed after a cluster of coronavirus cases was traced back to a classroom, classes were moved online.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,238 per 100,000 people — 19th highest (total: 244,078)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.0% — 9th smallest increase (from 225,638 to 241,335)
> Population: 4.7 million
Maine
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for adults, required for students age 5+
> Health screening precautions: Daily self-checks for students and staff
> Re-closing schools: All schools in Westbrook were closed until Dec. 3, a high school in York closed though Dec. 2, and at least 2 Oxford Hills schools moved classes online for 2 weeks due to coronavirus outbreaks; 2 schools in central Maine have closed as well
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 938 per 100,000 people — 2nd lowest (total: 12,554)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.7% — 18th largest increase (from 11,027 to 12,208)
> Population: 1.3 million
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Maryland
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks for staff
> Re-closing schools: Many schools districts are canceling plans to move to in-person instruction any time soon.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,399 per 100,000 people — 14th lowest (total: 205,399)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.1% — 17th smallest increase (from 188,161 to 203,355)
> Population: 6.0 million
Massachusetts
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for grade 2 and up, encouraged for the rest
> Health screening precautions: Temperature checks are not recommended
> Re-closing schools: Public schools in Boston moved classes online, in-person instruction will resume when there are 2 full weeks of falling infection rates. The state will soon start a free rrapid COVID-19 testing program at 134 schools.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,394 per 100,000 people — 11th lowest (total: 234,232)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.2% — 22nd smallest increase (from 214,594 to 234,232)
> Population: 6.9 million
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Michigan
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for some
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks recommended
> Re-closing schools: Michigan shut all high schools and colleges from Nov. 18 at least unil Dec. 8. High school sports and group fitness classes will also be cancelled.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,110 per 100,000 people — 19th lowest (total: 410,843)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 14.3% — 9th largest increase (from 352,433 to 402,886)
> Population: 10.0 million
Minnesota
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for students, staff, and others in schools, offices, and transportation
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: By the end of November, at least 17 of the state’s 20 largest school districts were in distance learning for middle and high school students, at least 30 schools across the state reported coronavirus outbreaks
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,811 per 100,000 people — 10th highest (total: 326,064)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 12.8% — 11th largest increase (from 283,831 to 320,301)
> Population: 5.6 million
Mississippi
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Natchez-Adams School District shut down all schools until after the Thanksgiving break due to a COVID-19 outbreak, sports are on hold as well
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,325 per 100,000 people — 17th highest (total: 159,036)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.7% — 15th smallest increase (from 145,636 to 156,868)
> Population: 3.0 million
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Missouri
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening.
> Re-closing schools: At least 4 schools in Jefferson County shut down temporarily after the county moved into a “red zone”; new mandates says that if people were wearing mask correctly and show no symptoms, they don’t have to quarantine for 14 days if exposed
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,050 per 100,000 people — 22nd highest (total: 309,368)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.0% — 16th smallest increase (from 282,792 to 305,370)
> Population: 6.1 million
Montana
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for all students and staff
> Health screening precautions: Visitor temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: At least 2 more schools in Billings are moving classes online temporarily in November. Montana City schools moved classes online until Nov. 30. Montana Tech suspended its baskteball program after players tested positive.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 6,130 per 100,000 people — 7th highest (total: 65,122)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.9% — 24th largest increase (from 58,565 to 64,340)
> Population: 1.1 million
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Nebraska
> Mask or face covering rules: Up to each school
> Health screening precautions: Visitors wash hands before entering the school, symptom self-screen
> Re-closing schools: Teachers union Nebraska State Education Association called on Gov. Ricketts to enact more restrictions amid a new surge of cases. The Millard school district closed schools for a week.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 6,869 per 100,000 people — 5th highest (total: 132,530)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.6% — 19th largest increase (from 117,682 to 130,194)
> Population: 1.9 million
Nevada
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for staff and students
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks recommended, post signs about proper hand-washing and other ways to stop the virus
> Re-closing schools: 1 high school closed until Nov. 30 after students who tested positive were at party with 150 to 200 attendees
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,257 per 100,000 people — 18th highest (total: 159,532)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.4% — 21st largest increase (from 142,239 to 156,996)
> Population: 3.0 million
New Hampshire
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screenings for staff, students
> Re-closing schools: One high school suspended sports indefinitely after several students tested positive. Interstate hockey competitions have been suspended until the end of 2020 for all public and private schools as well as youth leagues.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 1,646 per 100,000 people — 4th lowest (total: 22,332)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 18.9% — the largest increase (from 18,776 to 22,332)
> Population: 1.4 million
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New Jersey
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for school staff and visitors
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and history of exposure
> Re-closing schools: Schools in Paterson extended online learning until Jan. 19, 2021. Clifton’s school district shut down all schools and moved classes online as of Nov. 9. at least until January 2021. A total of 246 schools have moved to all-remote learning. Most are still offering 438 are offering a hybrid of in-person and remote instruction.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,940 per 100,000 people — 18th lowest (total: 350,999)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.9% — 20th smallest increase (from 317,905 to 346,206)
> Population: 8.9 million
New Mexico
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for students and staff
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: The Public Education Department paused the reopening of schools for in-person instruction, no districts are allowed to start a hybrid model during the new, tighter restrictions. Rio Rancho Public Schools are moving to full-time online instruction until Jan. 18, 2021.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,818 per 100,000 people — 25th highest (total: 100,963)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 14.6% — 6th largest increase (from 88,102 to 100,963)
> Population: 2.1 million
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New York
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks for all
> Re-closing schools: NYC schools will remain closed until Dec. 7. After that, only elementary schools will open for students whose parents agree to a weekly testing regimen for the coronavirus
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,399 per 100,000 people — 13th lowest (total: 664,238)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 8.3% — 18th smallest increase (from 613,266 to 664,238)
> Population: 19.5 million
North Carolina
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for teachers and students K-12
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Some Cumberland County Schools schools will reopen in January 2021. Several other schools in the state have closed for various periods of time in November.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,633 per 100,000 people — 15th lowest (total: 377,231)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.2% — 11th smallest increase (from 346,506 to 371,594)
> Population: 10.4 million
North Dakota
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended, especially if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Testing for COVID-19 based on risk level
> Re-closing schools: The state started free rapid testing for K-12 teachers, staff and administrators. Fargo and West Fargo school districts were first. The state suspended contact tracing due to too many new coronavirus cases, people are asked to reach out themselves to those who may have been exposed.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 10,671 per 100,000 people — the highest (total: 81,105)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 6.2% — 6th smallest increase (from 75,478 to 80,135)
> Population: 760000
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Ohio
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for staff
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening
> Re-closing schools: At least 7 school districts in Northeast Ohio went fully remote in November due a spike in positive cases in the district.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,823 per 100,000 people — 16th lowest (total: 446,849)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 14.4% — 8th largest increase (from 382,743 to 437,928)
> Population: 11.7 million
Oklahoma
> Mask or face covering rules: Encouraged for staff and students
> Health screening precautions: Daily temperature checks at home recommended
> Re-closing schools: At least 17 schools districts in the state are moving to online learning due to a rise in coronavirus cases. More than half of all Oklahoma schools districts have reported COVID-19 cases.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,132 per 100,000 people — 20th highest (total: 202,341)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 9.8% — 25th largest increase (from 184,342 to 202,341)
> Population: 3.9 million
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Oregon
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for staff and students
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Schools can reopen schools grades 4-12 if counties have 10 or fewer positive cases per 100,000 residents, and up to 30 cases per 100,000 for other students.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 1,865 per 100,000 people — 5th lowest (total: 78,160)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 14.1% — 10th largest increase (from 68,503 to 78,160)
> Population: 4.2 million
Pennsylvania
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening
> Re-closing schools: All Montgomery County public and private K-12 schools to moved to full-time remote learning until Dec. 6. More than a dozen school districts in the state closed schools temporarily in November and moving all classes online due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 3,020 per 100,000 people — 9th lowest (total: 386,837)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 14.5% — 7th largest increase (from 327,829 to 375,431)
> Population: 12.8 million
Rhode Island
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: At-home or on-site symptom screening, temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: In-person instruction will be severely curtailed at least until Dec. 13. PreK-8 schools are open for in-person instruction; however, it is limited in high schools. Colleges and universities are full-time remote.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,743 per 100,000 people — 11th highest (total: 60,722)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 12.8% — 13th largest increase (from 52,317 to 59,005)
> Population: 1.1 million
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South Carolina
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for students and staff who ride the state’s pupil transportation system
> Health screening precautions: Up to each school
> Re-closing schools: Greenwood School District 52 will return to the hybrid schedule starting Nov.19 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Public schools across started testing for COVID-19 for free in an attempt to help keep classrooms open.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,387 per 100,000 people — 24th lowest (total: 223,063)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 4.7% — 3rd smallest increase (from 210,905 to 220,835)
> Population: 5.1 million
South Dakota
> Mask or face covering rules: Strongly recommended
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: South Dakota’s positivity rate is around 40%, while the recommended maximum is 5%, suggesting testing is still very limited.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 8,757 per 100,000 people — 2nd highest (total: 77,261)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.4% — 13th smallest increase (from 71,170 to 76,438)
> Population: 882000
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Tennessee
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for all staff, students in middle and high school
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: About 1,500 students and staff contracted COVID-19 in just 1 week, about 5,000 people are quarantine in 4 of the state’s largest school districts. Several schools extended the Thanksgiving break from 5 to 9 days due to COVID-19 cases and quarantines.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,735 per 100,000 people — 12th highest (total: 388,252)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.4% — 20th largest increase (from 347,972 to 384,285)
> Population: 6.8 million
Texas
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for adults and old enough students
> Health screening precautions: Symptom self-screening for staff
> Re-closing schools: At least 8 school districts in North Texas and 7 in Central Texas temporarily moved classes online due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. Several schools in Fort Worth-area temporarily moved classes online due to a spike of COVID-19 cases
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 4,183 per 100,000 people — 22nd lowest (total: 1,200,674)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 6.2% — 5th smallest increase (from 1,130,980 to 1,200,674)
> Population: 28.7 million
Utah
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended
> Health screening precautions: Self-monitoring symptoms
> Re-closing schools: At least 51 Utah schools, including all schools in Salt Lake City, switched to remote learning until early December. The virus is currently spreading mostly among people ages 15-24.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 6,522 per 100,000 people — 6th highest (total: 206,165)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 10.0% — 23rd largest increase (from 183,902 to 202,220)
> Population: 3.2 million
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Vermont
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for all staff
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening at home
> Re-closing schools: Asymptomatic teachers and staff members at all public schols in Vermont can take an on-site COVID-19 test.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 741 per 100,000 people — the lowest (total: 4,642)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 16.6% — 3rd largest increase (from 3,827 to 4,461)
> Population: 626000
Virginia
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screenings
> Re-closing schools: Chesterfield Schools returned to virtual learning at least until the end of 2020. Henrico County Schools delay in-person reopening due to rising COVID-19 cases.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 2,871 per 100,000 people — 8th lowest (total: 244,503)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 7.1% — 10th smallest increase (from 226,300 to 242,480)
> Population: 8.5 million
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Washington
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for staff, recommended for students
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: The state could require school children to be vaccinated. Health officials in Thurston County recommend holding off on expanding in-person learning due to resurgence of COVID-19 cases
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 2,260 per 100,000 people — 6th lowest (total: 170,342)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 12.8% — 12th largest increase (from 151,019 to 170,342)
> Population: 7.5 million
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West Virginia
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for staff and students grades 3 and above
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks
> Re-closing schools: Gov. Jim Justice issued an executive order extending school closures through Dec. 2 for both public and private schools in all 55 counties.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 2,826 per 100,000 people — 7th lowest (total: 51,025)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 15.9% — 4th largest increase (from 43,050 to 49,905)
> Population: 1.8 million
Wisconsin
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for teacher when close to other people, required for students in high-traffic periods
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks recommended
> Re-closing schools: Racine Public Health Department ordered schools in Racine, Wind Point, and Elmwood Park to close until Jan. 15.
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 6,875 per 100,000 people — 4th highest (total: 399,708)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 6.9% — 8th smallest increase (from 369,442 to 395,090)
> Population: 5.8 million
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Wyoming
> Mask or face covering rules: Required if social distancing is difficult
> Health screening precautions: Up to each district
> Re-closing schools: All Wyoming Public Schools closed for in-person instruction until Nov. 30. Students don’t have to quarantine anymore if, when exposed, both the infected student and close contacts were wearing face coverings
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Dec 3: 5,094 per 100,000 people — 21st highest (total: 29,431)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Nov 25 – Dec 2: 12.2% — 15th largest increase (from 30,761 to 34,507)
> Population: 578000
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