Anne Arundel County is the latest jurisdiction in the D.C. area to postpone plans to bring students back into classrooms, as coronavirus cases rise throughout the region and nation.

The county school board voted Wednesday evening to delay in-person learning until February, at the earliest. Elementary students had been scheduled to begin returning to classrooms part time, starting Nov. 16.

Superintendent of Schools George Arlotto told school board members at a board meeting that the county no longer met reopening metrics established by the county health department.

“Unfortunately we’ve now gotten to a point where we are now several weeks away from beginning to implement our reopening plan that was approved by this board, and the case rates numbers in Anne Arundel County are going in the wrong direction,” said Arlotto.

COVID-19 cases in Anne Arundel rose to a seven-day average of more than 15 per 100,000 residents this week, which Arlotto said meant it was no longer safe to put students in classrooms.

“Over 15 puts us in the red,” said Arlotto.

On Monday, DC Public Schools also postponed its reopening plan, after pushback and protest from teachers, principals and parents. As of Tuesday, D.C. reported a daily case rate of 12.6 per 100,000.

Anne Arundel County health officials have created a grid of metrics for when various categories of students can safely return to school. Above 15 cases per 100,000, no students are recommended to be in classrooms; at a rate of between 10 and 15, health officials say elementary students may return to schools if “outbreaks are not prohibitive,” but older students should stay at home. When cases dip below 5 per 100,000 residents, all students may safely return to classrooms.

Arlotto said that with the current case rate, the health department also recommended ceasing all in-person school activities, including small group sessions for special needs and English as a second language classes, as well as athletics and other extracurricular activities.

Anne Arundel schools had planned to bring kindergarten through second grade students back into classrooms two days a week starting Nov. 16, followed by students grades three through five starting Nov. 30.