(CNN) — Most governors in the United States have ordered or recommended that statewide school closures continue for the rest of the academic year to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Several states have announced their plans to begin lifting social distancing measures and the federal government has issued guidelines to reopen the country in phases, but it doesn’t appear that students will return to the classroom this spring.
Officials in 44 US states, as well as Washington DC, have ordered or recommended school closures for the rest of the school year, according to a CNN tally. Schools in all five US territories — American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands — also are closed for the remainder of the school year.
States with mandatory or recommended closures
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Correction: Earlier versions of this article incorrectly stated Nebraska schools were under a mandatory closure for the remainder of the school year.
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