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Coronavirus News: Orange County, NY closes 2 districts due to COVID-19 clusters

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Orange County in NY closes 2 districts due to COVID-19 clusters

Health officials ordered all public, private and charter schools serving students in the Village of Kiryas Joel and Town of Palm Tree to close effective immediately.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- One day after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered schools in the impacted areas to close in New York City, the health commissioner in Orange County closed two school districts.

Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman ordered all public, private and charter schools serving students in the Village of Kiryas Joel and Town of Palm Tree to close effective immediately.

The health commissioner cited a three day COVID-19 positivity rate of 27.6%, the highest rate in Orange County.

The order by the commissioner requires the schools to be closed for at least two weeks, "but cannot resume operations without clearance to resume from the Orange County Department of Health."

Also on Tuesday, Governor Cuomo plans to meet with Orthodox Jewish leaders to discuss large-scale events that are drawing a lot of scrutiny in hot spot areas.

The governor also made clear that the rules apply to people of all faiths.

He also said indiscriminately closing businesses based on zip codes is not a good idea, and that the state will come up with its own plan.

The school closures are in effect Tuesday and affect nearly 100 schools.

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