In emails to Mountain View–Los Altos School District coaches last night, athletic directors at both Mountain View and Los Altos high schools announced the shutdown of all athletics cohorts until further notice; that decision comes following a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in the county.

“Due to the increase of COVID cases in the county, we are postponing all athletic cohorts until further notice,” the email from Los Altos Athletic Director Michelle Noeth reads.

It is not immediately clear if the move is related to the County’s tightened restrictions set to go in effect tomorrow; at the time of publication, neither athletic director could be reached for comment.

“While we realize that these cohorts have been a great support to our students, at this time we feel that we need to be cautious when we return from Thanksgiving,” Noeth wrote, adding that the cohorts will not be reopened “until we hear differently from the County.”

The MVLA move follows decisions from Gunn and Paly, which shuttered their cohorts on Wednesday, November 18, after the county moved into the purple tier of coronavirus restrictions; technically, existing cohorts are still allowed to train under the purple tier.