Iowa schools will remain closed through the end of April as the state braces for a surge in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks.

"Keeping Iowa students out of classrooms is a difficult decision, but it remains necessary for now," Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday during a news conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston.

"We anticipate the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Iowa will continue to grow and keeping schools closed for an extended amount of time will help protect the safety of our students, educators and school staff," she said.

Statewide, 614 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Eleven people have died from the illness, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The governor outlined new steps that school districts must take to ensure they are reaching Iowa students during the shutdown.

Districts have until April 10 to inform the Iowa Department of Education of continuous learning measures they are putting in place. This can include voluntary enrichment programs or required classes that count toward credit.

Programs can include online lessons as well as paper packets delivered to students, and districts can choose a mixture of voluntary and required programs for students at different grade levels.

"School districts that chose not to provide continuous learning (whether voluntary or required) will be required to make up the instructional time lost beyond what has been waived by the Legislature," Reynolds said.

► More: The latest information on the coronavirus in Iowa

The state has already waived the four weeks of instruction time lost during the initial school closure.

Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education, said the state has developed an expedited application process for any school that wants to implement a required continuous learning program.

The application will be available to districts in a few days and will allow the state to approve applications within 24 hours, she said.

"Making a sudden shift to virtual learning isn't always easy, especially during the crisis that we face now, but we can't let perfect be the enemy of good," Reynolds said.

All of Iowa’s K-12 schools have been closed since March 15 at the governor's recommendation to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"At this time I am not ordering schools to close through the remainder of the school year," the governor said Thursday. "As we have done with all COVID-19 mitigation decisions, we will continue to monitor the situation, assess the measures that we have in place and use the data to make the right decisions at the right time."

Despite the governor's recommendation, Des Moines Public Schools is preparing for its buildings to be closed for the remainder of the school year.

Superintendent Tom Ahart told board members during a meeting Thursday that the district is setting aside return plans and instead focusing its time and energy on launching online learning.

"I believe that reopening our school doors before the COVID-19 pandemic may have even reached its peak in Polk County is not in the best interest of the health and well-being of this community," Ahart wrote in a letter to parents Thursday night.

Dr. Yogesh Shah, the director of palliative care services at Broadlawns Medical Center, spoke to Des Moines school board members via Microsoft Teams earlier in the day, offering projections on the path of the coronavirus in Polk County.

Shah expects as many as 10,000 Polk County residents will test positive in the coming weeks, with the coronavirus reaching a peak in late April or early May.

Ahart said closing schools until the end of April "would mean a return date of May 4 and to the best of our knowledge that would be the worst time to bring students back."

"If we have local authority to close schools I think that's a no-brainer," Ahart said.

Ahart said the district is working with local service providers to ensure its 33,000 students have internet access. The school district has "just enough" computers and tablets to provide each student with a device, but additional technology will be purchased, he said.

"Let's make a plan now to finish this school year, which is unlike any year we have ever experienced, in a way that is safe for our community and serves the academic needs of our students," the superintendent wrote to parents.

Iowa was one of six states without a statewide order closing schools prior to the governor’s declaration Thursday. Six states — Alabama, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia and Vermont — have closed schools through the end of the school year. On Thursday, Nebraska ordered schools remain closed through the end of May.

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the White House would be extending its social distancing guidelines through April 30 — a month longer than an initial 15-day timeline when they were implemented on March 16.

The guidelines call on Americans to avoid social gatherings involving groups of 10 or more, to stay away from public spaces like restaurants and bars, to avoid discretionary travel and to practice increased hygiene.

Charles Flesher covers K-12 education for the Register. He can be reached by email at cflesher@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8481. Follow him on Twitter @CharlesFlesher.