Coronavirus updates: New remote learning details unveiled; NJ only state to see cases drop for 2 weeks; What – NJ.com

State officials on Friday gave a better idea of what remote learning will look like for families who don’t want to send students back to school in the fall due to concerns about the coronavirus.

The option is open to all students, districts must provide clear plans for how students will transition back to the classroom and students must adhere to attendance and length of school day rules, among other guidelines.

“We have heard from numerous parents and families who have asked for this, and we have heard them loud and clear. Our top priority is keeping students, their families and educators safe,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at his coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.

The remote learning guidelines come as New Jersey is the country’s most recent standard-barer for fighting against COVID-19.

As of Friday, New Jersey was the only state in the U.S. to see the number of new cases decline for the past two weeks, officials said. But, case numbers in recent days have been skewed by a nationwide delay in getting test results and by a reporting issue at Quest with lab results.

New Jersey added 488 new positive test results and 36 reported deaths on Friday. That brings the total number of cases to 178,345 and fatalities to 15,765 since the outbreak started in March.

Here’s a roundup of coronavirus news:

What ‘all-remote learning’ will look like for N.J. kids this fall as state reveals new guidelines. Faced with an increasing number of parents unsure if they want to send their children back to class this fall, New Jersey education officials released new rules Friday for an all-remote learning option for those who want to continue doing their classwork at home.

24 LBI lifeguards test positive for coronavirus after attending parties together. The lifeguards are from Harvey Cedars and Surf City, neighboring boroughs on LBI just north of the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge, which links the Ocean County mainland to the barrier island.

It’s not a ‘witch hunt,’ it’s about public safety. Here’s what contact tracers ask people. A day after Murphy said health officials hit a “brick wall” trying to track down anyone who may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a house party that infected about 20 teenagers because of fears that kids could get in trouble for underage drinking, the governor implored people not to shrug off contact tracers over fears people would get in trouble for illegal behavior.

Gym owners who defied Gov. Murphy’s shutdown fined by judge. A gym that publicly challenged Gov. Phil Murphy’s statewide shutdown faces fines after being found in contempt of court Friday, just days after the same judge gave the gym owners a temporary victory.

Airline gives refund for canceled trip, then takes the refund away. What gives? For Rosemary and Adam Montgomery, getting a refund was confusing. They purchased tickets with United Airlines for $2,301.60 to for a March 20 flight from Newark International Airport to Florida for a nephew’s wedding. It was a special occasion for their family to reunite and they splurged for first-class seats.

It’s unsafe to reopen schools. Don’t do it, says N.J. union representing 12K teachers. The Essex County Education Association, which represents 12,000 teachers in one of the state’s largest counties, released a letter Friday to state and county lawmakers calling for a return to all-remote learning for all public schools.

N.J. high school basketball team quarantining after player tests positive for coronavirus. The Holmdel High School basketball team and its coaches were all quarantining this week after a member of the squad tested positive for COVID-19, school officials announced Friday.

NCAA punts on fall sports championships decision, but says coronavirus will force changes. But while the governing body for college sports has kicked the can down the road once again amid the coronavirus pandemic, it still signaled significant changes will likely be needed if there will actually competitions this year.

Your landlord can’t lock you out in N.J., even when federal protections expire. While the federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on Saturday, tenants in New Jersey are still protected until early October, the Department of Community Affairs said.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Kelly Heyboer, Steve Strunsky, Chris Sheldon James Kratch, Sophie Nieto-Munoz, Blake Nelson and Karin Price Mueller contributed to this report.

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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.