MORROW COUNTY — As the number of new COVID-19 cases decrease, Morrow County schools will be reopened for students who want to return to in-person instruction on Wednesday, Oct. 28, District Superintendent Dirk Dirksen confirmed on Oct. 26.

The district announced the prior week that it would be able to reopen for in-person schooling due to the county’s population being under 30,000 people with an average density of less than six people per square mile, as long as there were less than 10 new cases of the virus from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, there were just four new cases of COVID-19 from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24. An additional two cases were reported on Sunday, Oct. 25, and no cases were reported Oct. 26.

In Umatilla County, the Oregon Health Authority reported an additional 27 cases of the virus from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26.

The Umatilla County Health Department also reported that hospitalizations in the county are up to seven as of Oct. 26. There have been 44 county residents who have died and tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.