As of the week of November 9th, Covid-19 cases around the country have reached around 115,117 cases per day on average according to the New York Times. This alarming spike is about a fifty-nine percent increase compared to two weeks prior.

Around forty states have had increasing spikes, eight other states have lower cases but higher spikes, and two states have low cases with little to no spikes. This past week, Maine had the highest spike in cases with a ninety-six percent increase in cases with a reported 514 cases. Iowa came in second and had a seventy percent increase with 14,852 cases in the past week. Besides those states, Pennsylvania had a sixty percent increase in cases with 16,811 cases in the past week.

These Covid-19 spikes and outbreaks have been steady since educational facilities reopened for students and have increased even more due to seasonal weather changes. Spikes in cases have caused schools in Lancaster County, Mars Area County, and more to shut down and do completely online schooling to ensure the safety of students.

Health advisors in Pennsylvania such as Rachel Levine have said that state officials are not considering going back to a red or yellow shutdown. However, she along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, have advised citizens to not hold holiday-related gatherings, parties, and any other social gatherings that could spread the virus.

At the rate the Coronavirus is going at with the rapid spikes in this fall surge, America could be facing a potential shutdown. The chances of this are mixed because of the economy being hit so hard the first time it was shut down. However, it is definitely possible for schools in Lehigh County to shut down due to the spike in cases that have been steadily increasing. Parkland High School has just recently closed for contract tracing to occur in the most recent cases they received.