Students in Charles County, Maryland, will attend school virtually the first week after winter break due to COVID-19 concerns, school officials said Wednesday.

Charles County Public Schools students will receive virtual instruction from Jan. 3 through Jan. 7 rather than attending class in-person due to “a high positive COVID-19 percentage rate for Charles County and high testing demand,” the school system said in a statement.

School officials said this move will give students and faculty more time to get tested for COVID-19. This comes as COVID-19 is surging in Maryland and nationwide, and straining the health care system.

If virtual learning needs to be extended, school officials said, parents and students will be told “as quickly as possible.”

All sports and extracurriculars in the county’s schools have been postponed.