US closes schools again over surge in COVID-19

Public schools in New York, United States, are expected to close for in-person learning from Thursday due to a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases.

The city’s Schools Chancellor, Richard Carranza, announced this in an email to the school principals on Wednesday.

Carranza said the decision was taken because the infection rate average over the last seven days had reached the three percent closure threshold.

He said the classrooms would hold remotely during the shutdown, while all school buildings would remain closed until further notice.

The chancellor said: “I know that for many of you, this decision to close schools that we recently opened will be disappointing, and I understand.

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“But by confronting the challenges together, we can continue to fight back against COVID-19. I am confident that before long, we will be able to safely reopen schools.”

The New York has the largest school system in the US with 1,800 schools and 1.1 million students.

The latest shutdown is coming barely two months after the schools reopened, following the first closure in April when the city became global COVID-19 epicentre.

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