New York City won’t reopen schools unless daily infection rate is below 3 percent
New York City officials said Friday the nation’s largest school system won’t reopen for in-person instruction unless the city’s coronavirus infection rate remains below 3 percent on a seven-day rolling average.
Key Context: Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced test-and-trace protocols for public schools Thursday night. Decisions to quarantine classrooms or close schools will be based on the facts of each investigation, officials said.
New York City‘s Covid-19 infection rate has been less than 3 percent since June 10, the mayor said.
"We are going to hold New York City to a very high standard, our schools to a very high standard,” de Blasio said during a Friday morning press conference. "We will not reopen our schools unless the city infection rate is below 3 percent."
Impact: If the infection rate goes above 3 percent, the city will close schools and transition to remote learning. De Blasio said child care will remain the same regardless of the scenario, noting that officials are working to develop that plan. But, the mayor cautioned, the city has to prepare itself "for a very non-linear experience."
The city is also planning to make laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases public. In the spring, the Department of Education faced criticism when it stopped publicly confirming positive cases in schools. The DOE attributed it to the large volume of cases.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools can reopen if their region is in phase four of reopening and has a daily infection rate of 5 percent or less over a 14-day average, consistent with CDC guidance. The city said it chose the 3 percent threshold as it is the epicenter of cases in the state and one of the most densely populated places CONTINUE READING: New York City won’t reopen schools unless daily infection rate is below 3 percent