UPDATE 2-More U.S. schools go online-only; Florida, Alabama report record rise in COVID-19 deaths

(Adds New York state expanding states on quarantine list, record increase in COVID-19 deaths in Alabama)

By Lisa Shumaker

July 14 (Reuters) - With coronavirus infections and deaths rising in many parts of the country, U.S. educators from California to Wisconsin are opting for online learning rather than a return to classrooms when the school year begins in a few weeks.

Florida reported a record increase on Tuesday of 133 COVID-19 deaths, raising the state's death toll to more than 4,500. Its previous record increase was 120 on July 9. Alabama reported a record increase of 40 deaths, bringing that state's total to over 1,100.

Schools from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Fort Bend County, Texas, joined California's two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, in announcing plans to keep teachers and students from the close contact that classrooms demand.

The decision puts the districts at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds or remove tax-exempt status if they refuse to reopen classrooms, even though most schools are financed by state and local taxes.

Trump's campaign views the reopening of classrooms, enabling parents to get back to work, as a key to economic recovery and a boost to his re-election chances on Nov. 3.

U.S. coronavirus cases rose in 46 of 50 states last week and the number of deaths rose nationally last week for the first time since mid-April and about six weeks after cases began to increase, according to a Reuters analysis.

FIRST IN CASES PER CAPITA

With more than 3.3 million COVID-19 cases, the United States ranks first in the world in cases per capita, according to a Reuters analysis, and with 135,000 deaths, ranks seventh in deaths per capita among the 20 countries with the most cases.

(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser for a Reuters interactive)

New York state plans to reopen its schools in areas where the daily infection rate is below 5% of all COVID tests. The state has averaged an infection rate of about 1% for several weeks and is one of only four states where cases fell last week, according to a Reuters analysis. New York City, where social distancing and mask wearing are widely practiced, recently reported no new COVID deaths in a 24-hour period for the first time since March.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday added Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to the state's quarantine list. Travelers arriving in New York from a total of 22 U.S. states are now required to quarantine for 14 days.

Florida still plans for its schools to resume in-person learning in August. The state recorded over 9,000 new cases on Tuesday, down from 12,000 on Monday and a record increase of 15,000 on Sunday.

Teachers in Loudoun County, Virginia, protested outside school headquarters on Monday with one woman fully enclosed in a white lab suit and face shield holding a sign that said, "Our new school uniform." To keep physically distant, the teachers honked their car horns in unison, according to a video.

Faculty members were protesting against a school board plan for hybrid instruction that would include two days of in-person teaching, according to local media.

After experiencing nearly 16,000 new cases in the last two days, California further retreated from reopening its economy.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ordered bars to close and restaurants, movie theaters, zoos and museums across the country's most populous state to cease indoor operations. Gyms, churches and hair salons must close in the 30 hardest-hit counties.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani and Gabriella Borter in New York; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Howard Goller)