Port Chester schools go to remote learning until January

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — The public schools in Port Chester, N.Y., will remain on remote learning into January as a result of a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the village, which borders Greenwich.

New York state designated the village as a “Yellow Zone” then an “Orange Zone” earlier this month, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and 10 days of a viral positivity rate above 3 percent. Under the Orange Zone designation, fitness centers were closed, social gatherings cannot exceed 10 people and schools were shuttered to in-person learning.

School authorities made the decision that the classrooms will not reopen for in-person learning until early next year. The school district was required to close after the Orange Zone designation was declared.

“Due to rising COVID-19 positivity rates and our continued designation as an Orange high-risk zone, full remote instruction continues into January,” the school administration said in announcing the closure. “Depending on COVID infection rates in mid-January and testing availability, we will examine the possibility of reinstating and phasing-in a hybrid model.”

The district said it would continue distributing meals for Port Chester students at the four elementary schools between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on school days.

According to guidelines issued by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, schools may reopen to in-person learning after “mass testing” of students and staff, and that must be followed by testing of 25 percent of the school population per week.

In Westchester County, N.Y., portions of five other communities — Yonkers, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Ossining and Tarrytown — have been designated as “Yellow Zones.” Within those areas, restaurant dining is limited to four people per table and nonresidential gatherings are restricted to a maximum of 25 people, among other restrictions. Hair salons are closed in those impacted areas.

In New Rochelle, the city’s schools reverted to a fully virtual learning experience as of Nov. 20, and that condition will remain in effect until at least Dec. 3, the school administration announced last week.

A rise in new coronavirus cases has been documented across the tristate metropolitan region.