New Jersey Gov. Phill Murphy is expected to announce that schools in the state are allowed to reopen completely remotely after saying that in-person classes would be held in some form, CBS News reported.

The governor is reversing his stance on school reopenings after months of insisting that classes would be held in-person. The reversal of decision comes as New Jersey’s coronavirus cases top 185,000, and COVID-19 deaths are over 15,800, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The announcement from Murphy is expected to come at 1 p.m. on Wednesday during a news briefing.

At least one school district in New Jersey has voted to hold all classes virtually. Elizabeth school district will teach students remotely in the fall as more than 400 teachers opted out of in-person classes because of fears of the coronavirus, Pat Politano, spokeswoman for the school district, told CBS News.

"It became fruitless to continue to try to do what was impossible. So they're going to spend the next five weeks making remote learning the best it possibly can be," she said.

The remote learning option follows backlash seen in Georgia, where a photo went viral of a student-packed hallway inside North Paulding High School. Social distancing was not being observed by students and many were also not wearing face masks.

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A teacher shows pupils how to clean their hands in a classroom at a school in the Paris' suburb of La Courneuve. AFP/Martin BUREAU
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