NEW YORK CITY — New York City schools could close as soon as Monday if the city's coronavirus positivity rate surpasses a 3 percent threshold this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
De Blasio issued that warning to parents Friday during an appearance on WNYC's "Brian Lehrer Show." He said parents with children attending in-person classes should ready alternate plans for school next week.
"If we get to that point, Brian, let's say it is over the weekend — we'll immediately alert parents that school would then be closed in that instance as early as Monday," he said. "People should get ready."
The city's COVID-19 positivity rate stood at 2.83 percent over a seven-day average, de Blasio said. Its daily rate stood at 3.06 percent — bringing the likelihood that schools will close to a high probability.
That's because city health officials set a 3 percent average coronavirus positivity rate as the cutoff for keeping schools open.
New York City consistently stayed far below that number over the summer and as roughly 300,000 students returned to in-person classes. But the number creeped, and then shot up, in recent weeks the coronavirus mounted a nationwide resurgence.
De Blasio and school officials started warning parents and school staff this week that a temporary school shutdown could be imminent.
The warnings prompted some backlash from parents and prominent politicians who questioned why schools — which have had a meager 0.17 percent positivity rate, de Blasio said — would close before indoor dining in restaurants.
De Blasio said the school shutdown level was decided after consulting with health officials — other business-related closures would be decided by the state.
He stressed school closures, if they occur, would be temporary and officials soon will release protocol for how and when to reopen.
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