ST. CLAIRSVILLE ­­– New positive cases of the COVID-19 continue their slow upward creep, but there was some good news Monday that more people in Belmont County have recovered from the virus.

On Monday morning, Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul said the county has had a total of 700 cases and has 55 people with active cases and in quarantine. However, by late afternoon the number of active cases had decreased to 48, with a total of 623 recoveries.

Another 25 residents have died while infected with the virus, including nine inmates at Belmont Correctional Institution, a state prison.

Currently, community spread remains the prevailing source of new COVID-19 cases in Belmont County, but Sproul continues to work with Belmont County’s schools, which will begin reopening in the coming weeks. The majority are planning to have their students back at full attendance five days per week, but all are ready to fall back to a “hybrid” model, combining in-person attendance with online learning.

High school sports will also resume, with restrictions and precautions in place to help slow or prevent transmission of the virus during games. Only a limited number of spectators will be permitted to attend, with certain numbers of relatives allotted per student player.

In addition, the Belmont County Junior Fair will kick off Sept. 8 and continue through Sept. 13. The usual vendors and carnival rides will not be part of the event this year.