On Sunday afternoon, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the media assembled for a coronavirus response press conference that he believed New York City schools should be closed. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had to that point refused to shut down schools until the governor, his fellow Democrat, publicly contradicted him. Only late Sunday did the mayor finally relent and close the schools down.

In his refusal to cancel school a week after most other districts already had, de Blasio cited the fact that many parents in the city rely on the school district to feed and provide child care during the day. Governors and mayors around the country stepped up to close schools for the sake of public health, but in the largest city in the country, de Blasio had to have his arm twisted for a week to do the right thing.