Coronavirus: All New Rochelle Public Schools To Close

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The City School District of New Rochelle has decided to close all its schools effective Friday.

Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo said Thursday afternoon in a letter to the community that, after touring the schools that were still open and getting feedback from staff and students, she determined that the best course of action was to close all schools beginning Friday until March 25.

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That is the same timeframe for the three schools that are in the state-mandated containment area.

Feijóo said that her administration will continue to assess and monitor all aspects of this rapidly changing situation in consultation with state and federal officials.

Students and staff, with the exception of certain key personnel, will not be permitted in any of our schools while the district considers all of the information and guidance being provided by the state and health officials, which has literally changed by the hour.

"Please be assured that we are doing everything in our power to continue to provide academic opportunities and mitigate any negative impact on our students caused by these extraordinary circumstances to the extent possible," Feijóo said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the mandatory containment area, established in a 1-mile radius of Young Israel of New Rochelle, the synagogue at the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Westchester. The area also includes a portion of neighboring Eastchester.

Large gathering places are prohibited from opening, including three public schools and a private school, the Ursuline School. All schools in the Tuckahoe district are also closed. The containment area will be in effect until March 25.

There are now 1,323 cases of the virus in the United States, with 38 deaths, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University. There have not been any deaths in New York. Here are the latest numbers for infections in New York:

• Westchester: 148
• NYC: 95
• Nassau: 41
• Suffolk: 20
• Rockland: 7
• Ulster: 4
• Albany: 2
• Orange: 1
• Broome: 1
• Delaware: 1
• Dutchess: 1
• Herkimer: 1
• Monroe: 2

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