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Schools Update: De Blasio Allows More Public Schools In Former COVID Red Zones To Reopen Thursday
By
David Cruz
Published Nov 9, 2020
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
David Cruz
Published Nov 9, 2020
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This is our daily update following the reopening of NYC schools for Monday, November 9th, 2020.
Here's the latest:
- NYC's Pandemic Ventilation Plan For Winter In Public Schools Involves Space Heaters, Air Purifiers, And Lots Of Layers
- Cuomo Urges Private Universities To Switch To Fully-Remote Learning After Thanksgiving
- Do you have a tip or story to share about schools reopening in NYC? Send us an email at [email protected] (we can keep you anonymous)
Mayor Bill de Blasio is allowing public school buildings in zones that have gone from red to yellow to reopen on Thursday, a month after they were closed for in-person learning by Governor Andrew Cuomo in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Just after the mayor spoke, Cuomo announced that he would shift the remaining red zones in Brooklyn to orange zones, and apply lighter restrictions.
Twenty-three schools will reopen their doors to in-person learning, adding to 268 that have already been open within yellow zones. The 22 public schools falling in the newly designated orange zone -- all concentrated within southern Brooklyn in the former red zone -- will remain closed, the city Department of Education said hours after the news conference.
"We're going to stand back, continue to hope that the progress in the red zone takes those areas out of the red zone altogether, at which point we'll reopen those schools," de Blasio said.
On October 30th, Cuomo announced that schools in every zone can reopen if they implement mandatory and frequent coronavirus testing of staff and students attending schools in person. But principals in schools at these newly designated yellow zones had been left in the dark over whether they were allowed to reopen.
Cuomo had closed the schools in designated red and orange zones in parts of Brooklyn and Queens on October 8th, after the average seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate rose above 3% in these areas. The rates in those neighborhoods were troubling to city officials, which saw them as outliers, when compared to the rest of the city's average rate of just 1% or higher.
Red and orange zones saw schools completely closed, though the majority of schools in yellow zones were allowed to stay open with mandated weekly testing protocols initiated.
Cuomo's current strategy in fighting COVID-19 hotspots involves a targeted micro-cluster approach, with restrictions intended to be less disruptive to the larger economy.
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David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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