The nation’s largest school system will begin to shut down this week in response to the coronavirus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that public schools would shut down in New York City in an aggressive effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases. He had been pressured to close schools for days as cases of the coronavirus in the city grew.
“I’m very, very concerned that we see a rapid spread of this disease, and it’s time to take more dramatic measures,” de Blasio said Sunday. “This is a decision I have taken with no joy and a lot of pain.”
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De Blasio faced widespread criticism from local officials and teachers planning a “mass sickout” for refusing to close schools in the Big Apple.
New York City’s school system is the country’s largest, with 1.1 million students. The move comes after other states have shuttered all K-12 schools. De Blasio said that the schools would be closed for students on Monday and that teachers would be trained later this week on how to continue to teach students remotely.
“These children need you,” the mayor said, directing his remarks to teachers. “Keep their education going.”
De Blasio said the goal is to reopen schools by April 20, although he said there is a chance that schools won’t reopen at all before the end of the school year. He said teachers will be asked to come in to work this week to receive training on how to provide remote learning.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said Sunday that schools on Long Island and in Westchester County would also be shut down.
“I believe that the New York City schools should be closed, period,” Cuomo told the New York Times. “We also need an immediate plan to provide child care for essential workers and for food programs for the children.”
The Federal Reserve lowered its interest rate target to zero on Sunday in an emergency move to safeguard the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that “it’s possible” that thousands or even millions of U.S. citizens could die during the outbreak, which has killed at least 62 people and infected more than 3,200. De Blasio said Sunday that five people in New York City have died from the coronavirus.
