Coronavirus: 1-Mile Containment Area In New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A containment area was established in New Rochelle to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said facilities, including some public schools, in a 1-mile radius around the hot spot of cases will close for two weeks. Buildings with large gatherings will be affected, the governor said.

"We are not containing people," Cuomo said. "We are containing facilities."

The New York National Guard will be deployed to the containment area to help deliver food and clean surfaces, the governor said.

"This is literally life and death," Cuomo said.

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New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School will be closed from Wednesday, March 11, through Wednesday, March 25, the City School District of New Rochelle said in a statement.

Cuomo said the state will work with affected schools to ensure any child who depends on food assistance programs will continue to receive those benefits during the two-week period. Other facilities affected by the containment order will be announced soon, he added.

There are now 173 confirmed cases of the virus in New York — up 31 from Monday — and the cluster of cases in New Rochelle is the largest in the country, Cuomo said.

The breakdown of coronavirus cases across New York is:

• Westchester: 108 (10 new)
• New York City: 36 (17 new)
• Nassau: 19 (2 new)
• Rockland: 6 (2 new)
• Saratoga: 2
• Suffolk: 1
• Ulster: 1

There have been about 116,000 cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, confirmed globally across more than 100 countries and regions, including more than 700 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. The virus has killed about 4,100 people worldwide as the death toll in the United States climbed to 27.

To increase testing, Northwell Health labs will set up a satellite facility in New Rochelle. Northwell received permission from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use automatic testing, which means more can be done every day.

Faced with the prospect of being out of school for two weeks, Aaron Perez, 16, a sophomore at New Rochelle High School, said, "It kind of ruins spring break, but it's cool."

Teachers gave them work to do, he said. Perez is slightly concerned about the new coronavirus, but not too much.

"I sanitize my hands after everything," he said.

Two high school staffers, who did not give their names, said they were worried about being shut down for two weeks, especially during such a busy academic time preparing for Regents exams.

Coronavirus in New York

• Coronavirus: 3 New Rochelle Schools Within Containment Area
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• Iona College In New Rochelle Beginning Spring Break Early
• Coronavirus: Expert Offers Common-Sense Reasons Not To Panic
• Suffolk's 1st Coronavirus Patient An Employee At Popular Brewery
• Coronavirus: 142 NY Cases, Schools Close, State Makes Hand Soap
• To Avoid Coronavirus, Americans Over 60 Should Hunker Down: CDC

With additional reporting by Lanning Taliaferro/Patch.