Coronavirus: New York state schools, colleges to remain closed for remainder of academic year

NEW YORK: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that schools and colleges across the state, the worst-hit in the United States, will remain closed for the rest of the academic year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a decision that will impact nearly 4.2 million students.

New York, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, is gradually beginning to see decline in the number of daily hospitalisations, ICU admissions and fatalities. The state has more than 300,000 confirmed virus cases and over 23,600 people have died so far.

“It’s critical that we protect our students from this virus, and given the current circumstances we are in, we do not think it is possible to put the necessary precautions in place that would allow us to re-open schools this academic year,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing on Friday.

“All schools and colleges will continue to provide distance learning, meal delivery and child care services for the remainder of the school year,” the governor said.

The academic session will go till June and schools re-open around September for the next session.

The New York state school system includes 700 public school districts, 4,800 schools, 1,800 private schools, 89 State University of New York and City University of New York campuses and 100 privat