New York City schools will reopen for in-person learning of elementary school children with increased testing, the city’s mayor announced Sunday.
With 1.1 million students, the largest public school system in the country closed two weeks ago as confirmed cases of the coronavirus spiked in the city.
“Upon reopening, weekly #COVID19 testing will be in effect and testing consent forms will be required for our students to return,” Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on Twitter. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.
In-person instruction resumed for New York’s children between late September and early October, when a seven-day positivity rate was at under 2% In-person learning was shut down again very suddenly earlier this month when the positivity rate remained at more than 3% for seven days.
City officials came under fire as many New York residents criticized the decision to close the schools while restaurants and bars remained open.
The city’s school positivity rate reported Sunday stood at 3.9%.
Medical experts have noted that schools are not main areas of transmission.
