12 Harlem Schools Shuttered By Coronavirus Cases

HARLEM, NY — The number of Harlem school buildings temporarily shuttered by coronavirus cases now stands at 12, according to the Department of Education.

The dozen Harlem buildings were among the 312 schools citywide facing temporary or extended closures Thursday, according to the DOE's map of active cases.

Here are the shuttered schools in each part of Harlem:

East Harlem:

• P.S. 72 (131 East 104th St.): closed Jan. 15 through Jan. 24
• P.S. 57 (176 East 115th St.): closed Jan. 15 through Jan. 24
• P.S. 112 (535 East 119th St.): closed Jan. 13 through Jan. 22

Central/West Harlem:

• P.S. 185 (20 West 112th St.): closed Jan. 19 through Jan. 28
• P.S. 149 (34 West 118th St.): closed Jan. 21
• P.S. 76 (220 West 121st St.): closed Jan. 20 through Jan. 21
• P.S. 125 (425 West 123rd St.): closed Jan. 14 through Jan. 23
• P.S. 129 (425 West 130th St.): closed Jan. 15 through Jan. 24
• P.S. 192 (500 West 138th St.): closed Jan. 13 through Jan. 22
• Urban Concepts of NY/Round the Clock Nursery (300 West 145th St.): closed Jan. 20 through Jan. 21
• P.S. 153 (1750 Amsterdam Ave.): closed Jan. 12 through Jan. 21
• P.S. 28 (475 West 155th St.): closed Jan. 12 through Jan. 21

Buildings are forced to close pending an investigation when at least two COVID-19 cases linked to each other are confirmed in separate classrooms.

That closure is extended to 10 days when infections occurred outside of school or a link cannot be determined. (That length of time was shortened from 14 days earlier this month, based on new health guidance.)

The number of citywide closures earlier this week stood at 373 — a record high so far in the pandemic, equivalent to about a third of all school buildings.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the "vast majority" of schools remained open. He said the closures are a necessary step to keep students and teachers safe.

"No one likes it," he said. "And we want to be absolutely sure when that kind of closure has to happen, but we take a better safe than sorry approach here. And that is what has kept our schools the safest in the country and the schools being the safest place to be in New York City."

Matt Troutman contributed to this report.

Related coverage: NYC School Coronavirus Closures Hover Over 300 Buildings