"Everyone uses the words sprint and marathon. I’ll call it an ultramarathon."

Schools in Hillsborough County will be all-virtual for the first four weeks after their Aug. 24 opening, the School Board decided in a 5-2 vote on Thursday.

Then, on Sept. 8, if COVID-19 numbers have fallen sufficiently, the board might vote to reopen their buildings to students.

Thursday’s reversal of a decision two weeks earlier followed presentations from a panel of physicians who warned that, if the schools reopened for face-to-face instruction, there would likely be widespread closures because of the coronavirus.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times