NYC Schools Closed through Thanksgiving Due to Covid Spike

Mayor Bill de Blasio and city officials announced on Wednesday that New York City public schools will be closed to in-person learning “out of an abundance of caution” beginning on Thursday due to a spike in coronavirus cases exceeding the 3% positive test rate threshold over a seven-day average time period. Remote learning will resume for approximately 300,000 students who have been attending classes at their schools during the pandemic.

The mayor said in a tweet on Wednesday, the purpose is to “fight back the second wave of COVID-19″ and he understands how difficult the short notice will be on many working parents, but they do intend to resume in-class learning “as quickly as possible.”

Prior to students returning to their schools, the city will implement increased Covid testing. The public school system is expected to remain closed to in-person learning through the Thanksgiving holiday, allowing for officials to put their new testing standards in place in order to ensure the upward curve in positive cases does not escalate further.