NY closes schools over second wave fears
New York will temporarily close schools in nine neighborhoods experiencing an uptick in coronavirus infections, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday, highlighting the issue of keeping children in classrooms during the pandemic.
The general public and private schools are in regions of Brooklyn and Queens, where the rate of positive cases has been above the three per cent threshold for a lot more than seven days.
NY - America's largest school district with 1.1 million students - is the only major city in the usa offering in-person classes this fall.
Many cities, such as for example Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami, opted instead for online classes.
The problem of reopening schools has become politicised prior to the November elections, with Republican president Donald Trump insisting schools reopen, regardless of infection rates.
The closures take effect on Tuesday, bringing forward by a day the date proposed by NEW YORK mayor Bill de Blasio.
Cuomo refused for now to close non-essential businesses in the nine areas, as also called for by the mayor.
Two of the neighborhoods recorded positive rates above eight % over the past a week, according to figures released on Monday.
The areas include large Orthodox Jewish communities, who recently marked the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays.
Across NY state, the rate of positive cases remains low at 1.22 %. - AFP
