But de Blasio said all instruction would switch back to distance learning again because the positive rate on coronavirus tests in the city rose to a seven-day average of 3 per cent, the threshold for ceasing in-person classes. The daily number of people being admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19 is going up, but not intensely. Will restaurants and bars be next? Indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people. "They just started this last week, and he came home and talked about it for the entire day - the one day he went into school", said Malvern.

As the idea of school closures lingered ahead of the final call, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested reconsidering the 3% cut-off. "You know where it's going; stop it before it gets there".

Nearly 13,000 New Yorkers have signed a petition entitled "Keep NYC Schools Open" that campaigners and kids delivered to city hall and state Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday. "In order to prevent the level of pain and devastation that was inflicted by the compounding public health and economic crises in the spring, we have to learn from our mistakes and be proactive".

Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said Wednesday 40,000 devices either have arrived or will arrive by the end of the week - that's about 40% of the 100,000 devices the city has ordered.

"We were affected heavily in the last wave and some of the protection could be some kind of immunity that has developed", he said. We need to reset the equation to keep our schools safe.

"I think we can close down other businesses that are contributing to the high infection rate, as opposed to school infection rate, first", Balla told ABC News. Additionally, the state and the city use different metrics to measure the coronavirus infection rate. He also says Christmas should be of concern.

The city has conducted random testing in school buildings once a month, but some educators have said that the testing is flawed because relatively few families have consented. She requested anonymity amid a tense time for teachers, noting it's not an easy time for parents either who are "having to take on a lot of their child's education".

"We will be working with schools to increase the number of days blended learning students are in buildings", education department spokesperson Katie O'Hanlon said in a statement, "and we're excited for these students to join their peers when we reopen".

Tam urges collective effort as Ontarians told to celebrate holidays at home
Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Dr. There are 523 people hospitalized with the coronavirus, which is down from 523 yesterday.

But as important as that 3 percent rate is, it seems the city and the state can't agree on whether it has been reached. We did something that other cities around this country could only dream of because we have fought back this pandemic so well for so long. "This is a setback, but it's a setback we will overcome".

During mid-March, the school system across NY stopped in-person learning due to the pandemic. "Or unless the governor instructs independent schools to close".

"Thousands of families, including mine, will continue to muddle our way through this school year, and Elyse [Stringer's wife] and I are enormously grateful to the boys' teachers and their colleagues throughout the city".

"In-person learning is the best possible scenario for children, especially those with special needs and from low-income families".

So when de Blasio refused to revisit the 3% metric this week, it clearly angered parents of numerous 300,000 students who had been going into classrooms for at least part of the week.

Mayor Bill de Blasio made the looming restrictions sound as if they were a fait accompli Thursday during an interview on 1010-WINS where he was pressed on the possibility of Cuomo invoking the orange zone rules locally. "Our state and city leaders should be proactively planning to stay ahead of the virus with a cohesive plan to contain the spread".

Thursday's closure indicated a concerning and confusing new phase in the combat against coronavirus when, in spite of fears to the contrary, public schools have not appeared to be widespread incubators of the virus. "We should be prioritizing our children, not profits".