CUOMO ORDERS SOME SCHOOLS CLOSED
Virus spreading fast in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn, Queens
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday ordered schools in certain New York City neighborhoods closed within a day in an attempt to halt f lare-ups of the coronavirus.
The governor took the action a day after the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, asked the state for permission to reinstate restrictions on schools and businesses in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn and Queens where the virus was spreading more quickly than in other parts of the city.
Cuomo said the closures would take place by today, a day ahead of when the mayor wanted.
“These clusters have to be attacked,” Cuomo said, likening the state to a field of dry grass ready to ignite if burning embers aren’t put out fast.
Cuomo, a Democrat, said schools in those areas hadn’t been testing students for the virus to identify possible outbreaks and he could no longer guarantee they were safe. Cuomo said he hadn’t made a decision yet on whether to also close certain businesses.
City leaders including the mayor, comptroller, council speaker and the head of the city’s teachers union had agreed to the plan during a phone call shortly before the news conference, Cuomo said.
The mayor’s plan, which required state approval, would close about 100 public schools and 200 private schools, including religious schools.
Speaking at a separate event later Monday, de Blasio said, “We’re going to work hard to turn around those nine ZIP codes so that in the coming weeks kids will be able to come back to school.”
Most of the neighborhoods targeted by the restrictions are home to part of the city’s large Orthodox Jewish community, where many religious schools resumed in-person instruction in early September, and where large religious gatherings have continued to occur, despite rules limiting attendance at such events.
Cuomo warned that he will shut down temples and churches, too, if compliance with social-distancing rules doesn’t improve.
“If you do not agree to follow the rules, then we will close the institutions down. I am prepared to do that,” Cuomo said.
New York City, overall, continues to see the virus spread at relatively low levels compared with much of the rest of the country, but a handful of areas in Brooklyn and Queens have seen infection rates rising.
The nine ZIP codes singled out for restrictions have been responsible for more than 20 percent of all new infections in the city over the past four weeks, though they represent only 7 percent of the population.
De Blasio’s plan would shutter nonessential businesses and force restaurants to go back to offering takeout, just a week after they were cleared to begin welcoming diners back indoors.
Cuomo said he wanted more information before ruling on that request. He also said that targeting hot spots by ZIP code was clumsy, given that the borders often didn’t align with where the problems were occurring.