New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced Wednesday that public schools citywide would be closed and all learning would be conducted virtually starting Thursday, in a blow to parents.
A rise in coronavirus rates in the Big Apple was cited for the reasoning, despite officials admitting that cases in the nation's largest school system itself remain incredibly low.
What are the details?
"New York City has reached the 3% testing positivity 7-day average threshold," de Blasio tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "Unfortunately, this means public school buildings will be closed as of tomorrow, Thursday Nov. 19, out an abundance of caution. We must fight back the second wave of COVID-19."
Politico reported that in a letter to principals, "Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said schools have seen a Covid-19 positivity rate of only 0.19 percent out of more than 120,000 students and staff tested but that the city established a 3 percent threshold and was sticking to it."
