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Map: Which counties are ready for schools to fully open?

The CDC issued guidelines for opening schools for in-person instruction. See where your county stands. NBC News will update this map weekly.

The U.S. now has a framework for opening schools for in-person classes. Is your county ready?

NBC News is tracking the Covid-19 case counts and tests to determine which areas meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reopening guidance. As of July 23, slightly more than half of U.S. counties met the criteria for full in-person classes, according to an analysis of the agency’s figures.

This map will be updated weekly, on Fridays.

The CDC has stated that in-person learning can be done safely during the pandemic, and the agency released guidance for opening schools during the coronavirus pandemic in February, urging strategies based on the Covid-19 transmission levels in each county. The framework, which has been lauded by national teachers unions, takes into account the percentage of new positive Covid-19 tests and the number of new confirmed cases in a seven-day period.

Under the guidance:

  • Counties with fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate below 5 percent are considered low transmission areas. K-12 schools can open for full in-person instruction, provided physical distancing is maintained. Sports and extracurricular activities are allowed with masks and physical distancing if possible.
  • Counties with 10-49 new cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate between 5-7.9 percent are considered moderate transmission areas. K-12 schools can open for full in-person instruction, provided physical distancing is maintained. Sports and extracurricular activities are allowed with masks and physical distancing required.
  • Counties with 50-99 new cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate between 8-9.9 percent are considered substantial transmission areas. K-12 schools should operate in hybrid or reduced attendance modes. Sports and extracurricular activities are allowed only if they are held outdoors, with masks and physical distancing.
  • Counties with 100 or more new cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate above 10 percent are considered high transmission areas. Elementary schools should operate in hybrid learning or reduced attendance modes. Middle and high schools should operate in virtual instruction only unless they can follow strict mitigation strategies. Schools that have already reopened can remain open if they follow strict mitigation strategies and have few cases. Sports and extracurricular activities should be virtual only.

Counties with numbers that fall between two transmission categories should be designated as the more severe category, a CDC spokesperson told NBC News.