NYC schools to stay open amid virus

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s largest public school system will remain open during the coronavirus crisis, New York City’s mayor announced Friday, saying his concerns about the unintended consequences of leaving more than 1.1 million students with no place to go outweighed mounting pressure to close.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision leaves the Big Apple as an outlier amid a growing list of cities and states that have elected to close schools for a week or more as part of a nationwide attempt to limit the spread of the disease, known as COVID-19.

In New York, the coronavirus has already turned the lights out on Broadway and shuttered big gathering spots from art museums to Carnegie Hall, but de Blasio said closing schools could do more harm than good — leaving parents scrambling for childcare, including first responders and health care workers.

“Many, many parents want us to keep schools open,“de Blasio said. “Depend on it. Need it. Don’t have another option.”

New York City’s teachers union and an increasing roster of local politicians disagreed with the mayor. In a statement, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson argued that “teaching and learning can not take place under these circumstances for the safety and well being of the teachers and students.“

De Blasio, who was also concerned that hundreds of thousands of poor students could go hungry without their free or reduced-price school meals, said schools would make adjustments to promote what is known as “social distancing,” such as moving some meals into classrooms to avoid crowding in the cafeterias and changing how gym classes are taught.

As officials deliberated, restaurants, subway cars and sidewalks were noticeably emptier as people telecommuted to work and avoided public places. Store shelves were wiped clean of basic necessities, such as toilet paper and tissues, and products like hand sanitizer and wipes.