POST HOLIDAY SURGE LIVE SHOT

In fayette county... virtual learning starts up again thursday.

The board is scheduled to talk about returning to class in-person tomorrow.

To see what other districts are doing...click on this story on w-t-v-q dot com.

Ots image: lexington covid-19 cases coronavirus 5.jpg lexington is starting off the new year with more than 500 new coronavirus cases.

Fs vo bullets:no lexington covid-19 cases source: lexington-fayette county health department new cases: 5 ... the lexington fayette county health department reports 265 new covid cases on saturday and 269 on sunday.... for a weekend total of 534 cases.

That brings the overall total to almost 24,000 since the outbreak began in march.

There were also three new deaths over the weekend... raising the city's death toll to 163.

Those numbers suggest that post- holiday surge...health leaders have been warning us about.

Abc 36's bobbi mcswine is live now at the health department in lexington.

Boxes:1x1 abc 36 studio lexington location three location four bobbi...the department says this is just the beginning of the most recent surge.

### that's right vj...he says he fears a spike is ahead...pointing to data showing that about two weeks after every major holiday in 2020...there was an increase in cases.

Hall says the number of cases aren't only because of holiday travel...but also because of an increase of cases at lexington's federal medical center...and a backlog of cases due to the holiday break.

Still...he says travel is a sticking point.

He says those who have traveled should take the steps we've been told for months...isolate...s ocial distance...wear a mask...and wash hands often.

Hall says he know there's widespread pandemic fatigue...but says the end is in sight...and he doesn't want lexington to move backwards.

"we have seen cases that have been as many as 400 in a single day.

We never want to get back to that.

We anticipate that it could get bavk to that between the cold weather, people not following guidelines and the general ease of people following those guidelines."

As far as concerns about hospital capacity...halls says that's not much of an issue right now...the bigger concern...making sure health care workers don't contract the virus...leaving hospitals with fewer employees.

Live in lexington...i'm bobbi mcswine...abc 36 news.

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