Arizona won’t make schools reopen in mid-August

Arizona’s governor says public schools won’t be required to reopen for in-person learning as expected in mid-August as the coronavirus pandemic continues at a high level.

Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday that the state Health Services Department will develop a set of scientific guidelines that school districts and local public health officials can use to determine if it is safe to reopen classrooms.

The governor also says bars and gyms that he ordered to close a month ago won’t be allowed to reopen.

Arizona has topped 3,000 deaths from the coronavirus and has nearly 153,000 confirmed virus cases. (AP)