Most LA schools still have some steps to follow before reopening Share: Schools and districts still have some steps to take before they can reopen, if they want to. The threshold for letting elementary schools reopen is five days of new COVID-19 cases of 25 or fewer per 100,000 people living in the county. But once reaching that point - which Los Angeles has - the only schools that can start to reopen are those which have already obtained waivers or submitted COVID-19 safety plans in advance. There are extensive safety requirements that schools must follow as part of those safety plans, including social distancing, masking requirements, sufficient ventilation and testing programs.