Schools in New York City’s COVID hot spots will temporarily close tomorrow, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.
Over the weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that both public and private schools in 9 zip codes with COVID transmission rates over 3% would close for at least two weeks beginning Wednesday, Oct. 7. But in order to move ahead with school closures, the city needed approval from the state.
Now, roughly 100 public schools and 200 private schools will shutter their doors for an unclear amount of time. Governor Cuomo added that school reopening criteria is still being determined.
The majority of the areas experiencing upticks in the virus are in Southern Brooklyn and encompass Borough Park (11219), Gravesend/Homecrest (11223), Midwood ( 11230), Bensonhurst/Mapleton (11204), Flatlands/Midwood( 11210) and Gerritsen Beach/Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay (11229). The remaining three hot spot zip codes are Far Rockaway/Edgere ( 11691), Kew Gardens ( 11415) and Kew Gardens Hills/Pomonok ( 11367) in Queens.
Under the city’s plan, students would transition to remote learning for at least two weeks and daycare centers would close. It is still unclear if the city’s daycare centers will also temporarily close their doors.
