FORT LAUDERDALE: Millions more children in the U.S. learned Friday that they're unlikely to return to classrooms full time in the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, as officials laid out new details of what lies ahead after summer vacation.
The announcements came as many states, particularly in the Sunbelt, struggled to cope with a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Teams of military medics were deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by coronavirus patients, and Miami area authorities began stepping up enforcement of a mask requirement.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria for school reopenings that makes classroom instruction unlikely for most districts.
The rules mandate that students above 2nd grade and all staff wear masks in school.
Texas gave public schools permission to keep their facilities closed for more than 5 million students well into the fall.
Under the new guidelines, schools can hold online-only instruction for up to the first eight weeks of the school year, potentially pushing a return to campus in some cities until November.
Most Chicago children would return to the classroom just two days a week and spend the other three days learning remotely under a tentative plan outlined by officials from the nation's third-largest school district.
A final decision for fall classes for the district's more than 300,000 students won't come until late August.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will override local school districts and require students to spend at least half of their schooling in classrooms.
Her proclamation drew immediate criticism from the state teachers union.
Several states have been reporting record numbers of COVID-19 this week, contributing to a surge in the national death rate.
The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths has risen 34% from two weeks ago, while the case count in that period shot up 43%.
Florida reported 128 new deaths Friday and 11,345 new cases.
Texas reported 10,000 new cases for the third straight day Thursday and 129 additional deaths.
California reported its largest two-day total of confirmed cases, nearly 20,000, along with 258 deaths over 48 hours.
There were signs across the Sunbelt that the virus was stretching authorities' capacity to respond.