STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Support for families through the Department of Education (DOE) will still be available even though school buildings are shuttered to in-person learning as of Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during his daily press conference.
Public school buildings citywide closed on Thursday and public school students moved to all-remote learning as coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to rise and the citywide positive rate for testing reached 3%.
De Blasio said school buildings will remain closed this week and through the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Learning Bridges program – the city’s free child-care program, which has five locations on Staten Island – will remain open despite the closure of schools and will continue to operate on a priority basis, the mayor said.
Free grab-and-go meals will also be available to students and families in need. The meals can be picked up at any public school in the five boroughs, including the schools that have been previously individually shuttered due to COVID-19 cases.
Additionally, the mayor said the DOE will continue to distribute devices to students in need, also on a priority basis.
The mayor said he’s “convinced” the city and state will be able to work together to reopen schools.
“We will let you know in the next few days what that looks like,” de Blasio said, adding that parental involvement, specifically the signing of COVID-19 test consent forms, will be crucial.
He said that special needs children need to be one of the main focuses of the school’s closure and reopening strategies.
“We have to fight back this second wave. Our schools have been extraordinarily safe, we have to keep it this way. We need to reset the equation and come up with even more stringent rules to make schools work and testing will be crucial,” he said.
De Blasio briefly spoke about the decision to keep restaurants, gyms, and other places of recreation and business open while school buildings shuttered.
“The governor made clear yesterday that it’s just a matter of time before indoor dining and gyms will close,” he said. “New York City before long will be in the orange zone; it’s very likely to be in the next week or two and I think there’s going to have to be a lot of tough choices.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that state data puts New York City’s positivity rate for COVID-19 testing at 2.5%, and that the city will face “orange zone” restrictions if that measure moves to 3%.
At a press briefing, the governor called the current rise in COVID-19 cases – both in the state and around the nation – a “COVID spiral.”
He said that the coming cold weather and holidays, combined with “COVID fatigue,” are driving spread of the disease, particularly in “places that haven’t yet experienced painful reality.”
The governor pointed out that, while New York’s percent positivity rate is at 2.88%, it is among the lowest in the U.S., only behind Vermont, Hawaii and Maine.
“That’s because New Yorkers have done a phenomenal job,” Cuomo said.
Much of Staten Island remains in a yellow zone on Thursday.
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Mayor promises NYC families continued support while city schools remain shut at least through Thanksgiving - silive.com
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