![Bexar County Medical Society against reopening of schools until COVID-19 is under control](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/D-VXMfinFY5yWS45I1EqX7Wk05A=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EH6CLSCOLZGTJK7FGKLOLF3CI4.jpg)
Bexar County Medical Society against reopening of schools until COVID-19 is under control
SAN ANTONIO The Bexar County Medical Society, which represents more than 5,000 local physicians and medical students, says San Antonio-area schools should not reopen for face-to-face learning until COVID-19 infections are under control. A task force for the group recommends that in-person learning should not occur until the COVID-19 positivity rate for Bexar County drops below 5% for at least 14 consecutive days, and there is a decline in new COVID-19 cases for 14 consecutive days. As of Tuesday, Bexar Countys positivity rate -- the rate of COVID-19 tests that come back positive -- was over 14% with a total of 31,867 COVID-19 cases reported. Only 10% of staffed hospital beds are available, and more than 1,100 patients are in Bexar County hospitals due to complications with COVID-19, according to city data. A directive issued Friday by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District mandates that school districts in Bexar County cannot reopen schools for on-campus face-to-face instruction until after Sept. 7.