New NYC School Coronavirus Closure Rule Sets 4-Case Limit

NEW YORK CITY — A controversial "two-case rule" for COVID-19 closures at New York City's public schools will be replaced by a new four-case threshold that will leave more buildings open.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday unveiled new standards for closing schools amid coronavirus outbreaks.

Individual classrooms will continue to close if the coronavirus is detected, and officials will ramp up testing, de Blasio said. But entire buildings will not close unless four COVID-19 cases are detected in separate classrooms within seven days and are traced to a source in the school, he said.

Those closures will be for 10 days, he said.

“This will help us to have more consistency in school attendance and schedules,” he said.

The new rule replaces the city's two-case threshold that has been a thorn in many parents' sides during the pandemic. The so-called "two-case rule" required entire schools — not just individual buildings — to be shut down for 10 days after two unlinked cases of coronavirus were detected on the campus.

De Blasio earlier this week announced the city would scrap the two-case rule, but faced criticism because he did so without providing a replacement.

The announcement provides details for parents just one day before a Friday deadline for them to decide whether to opt in their children for in-person learning.

Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter said the new rule will provide more targeted closures.

“Additionally, this rule applies to individual schools as opposed to the entire building,” she said. “If cases are reported and investigation takes place, but the whole school does not need to close for 24 hours while that is ongoing. And I know all of the parents along with me are shouting a big hurray for that.”

The change will take effect Monday, Porter said.

The city's health and safety standards are still stricter than recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner. He said the new rule will keep more schools open safely.

"The era of disruptive 24-hour closures is over," he said.

Michael Mulgrew, who heads the United Federation of Teachers union, previously expressed skepticism over scrapping the two-case rule. He quickly issued a statement during de Blasio's announcement that noted additional protections in the new rule — such as expanding COVID-19 testing in school from 20 percent to 40 percent capacity if two cases are detected — and said it appeared the rule will maintain safety.

"This change will mean that while many classrooms will continue to close, the number of overall schools closed will decline, a repeated request of both teachers and parents," he said in the statement. "While this is a step forward, the most important fact in the public school opening debate is that the overwhelming majority — some seven hundred thousand public school families — continue to opt for remote instruction. If we are going to have anything like a normal opening in September, the Mayor needs to find ways to assure them that our COVID precautions remain strong and that schools are safe for their children."