OC Officials Say County Will Soon Go Off Watch List, Allowing Schools to Reopen

A sign at Santiago Hills Elementary School anticipates the first day of school for the 2020–21 school year in Irvine, Calif., on July 14, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Officials in Orange County, California, announced Aug. 20 that positive trends in county case numbers for COVID-19 may soon allow the county to reopen schools for in-person learning.

The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) reported that the county dipped below significant data-monitoring thresholds used to determine a state watch list on Aug. 19. Once the county remains off the watch list for 14 consecutive days, in-person education for K-12 schools is allowed to resume.