Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Over 100 Schools Will Reopen Within Revised COVID-19 Hotspot Map On Monday
By
David Cruz
Published Oct 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jessica Gould/WNYC
By
David Cruz
Published Oct 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
More than 100 New York City public school buildings will reopen on Monday after alarmingly high COVID-19 rates forced their closure for two weeks, the city Department of Education announced. Principals have now received the letters confirming their reopening, clearing up confusion over whether a school can reopen or not.
Those 128 school buildings were originally ordered closed by Governor Andrew Cuomo after he drafted a hotspot map composed of red, orange, and yellow zones. They were once in orange or red zones — where students pivoted to remote learning for two weeks — until Cuomo released a revised map on Wednesday that redrafted the lines. They will now join the other 313 schools that were in yellow zones, allowing them to stay open.
The DOE also announced that 16 other schools that had been closed by the city before Cuomo instituted the zone map will reopen, bringing the total number of schools allowed for in-person learning to 457 schools.
While schools once in red zones in Queens will be allowed to reopen, 45 other schools in red zones in Brooklyn will remain closed, with no word yet on when they can reopen.
As part of the reopening program, all schools in yellow zones will perform weekly testing, unlike the city's randomized testing program that mandates 10-20% of its students and staffers get tested monthly.
The DOE said that from the time testing began at yellow zones on October 16th through October 21st, there have been 6,239 tests administered at 125 school sites. The agency received 5,030 tests back with results showing nine people — five staffers and four students — testing positive for COVID-19, giving that testing group a .18% positivity rate.
Those with questions on the schools testing protocols can tune into a virtual Q&A forum hosted by Dr. Jay Varma, the city's senior advisor for public health, on October 27th at 6:30 p.m. To participate, call (800) 280-9461.
Tagged
schools reopening
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
ICE agent shoots, injures immigrant man in NYC's Marble Hill, DHS says
The agency says the man is alive and hospitalized.
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 5:33 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 8, 2026 at 10:32 p.m. ET
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
By
Michael Sol Warren
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .