This test counts

Unlike other major American cities, New York’s public schools have one significant advantage when it comes to reopening, even on a hybrid basis, in the fall: The amount of virus in the five boroughs is low and has stayed low. For the last two months less than 2% of those tested are infected. In recent days, it’s been consistently under 1%.

But what’s painfully missing from the city’s reopening plan is a rigorous testing and tracing program to ensure that, starting from that healthy baseline, inevitable cases don’t become uncontrollable outbreaks. That must be fixed, stat.

Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza pledged to offer all staff, including the city’s 75,000 teachers, quick-turnaround results before school begins. But they’ve been silent on testing students, or on how regularly staff and kids alike will get checked for COVID once the school year starts.

That’s an omission large enough to drive an ambulance through. New research shows while children are less likely to show symptoms, they can still spread the virus, and kids, particularly ages 10 and older, can be just as infectious as adults.

Why isn’t DOE considering the routine use of cheaper, rapid results tests? If costs and logistics are prohibitive given the federal government’s abdication of responsibility, why not pool classrooms or even full schools, then drill down if a result comes back positive?

Cuomo and de Blasio can’t keep telling city parents that science is guiding school reopenings unless they’re actually following what scientists recommend.