New York City’s public schools will close again on Thursday after the city reported a rise in COVID-19 cases, marking a significant setback for the state once deemed the epicenter of the pandemic. Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a tweet that the city had reached an average 3 percent positive test rate over seven days. “Unfortunately, this means public school buildings will be closed as of tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 19, out an abundance of caution. We must fight back the second wave of COVID-19,” he wrote.
But the announcement came amid a day of confusion and fiery tempers. NYC Chancellor Richard Carranza told school principals that the nation’s largest school system was going remote, just as Gov. Andrew Cuomo was insisting in a press conference that it wasn’t. Cuomo insulted, yelled at, and argued with journalists who tried to get clarity on schools and rising case numbers. He scolded one reporter for being “rude and obnoxious” and said “[parents] are not confused, you’re confused” to another. He railed against reporters who asked whether a shutdown would signal defeat in his COVID-19 recovery plan. At the end of the briefing, when informed that NYC schools had indeed shut, he didn’t apologize for his outburst—simply saying the decision is up to local leaders anyway.
Meanwhile, de Blasio scheduled a 10 a.m. press briefing but only appeared five hours later to explain the closure. He said closures would be temporary but schools probably won’t open as soon as the positivity rate dips below 3 percent.
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