Another 33 New York City schools closing Thursday under COVID cluster plan for total of 124

COVID-19 clusters have been reported in Brooklyn and Queens in New York City as well as Rockland, Orange, Nassau and Binghamton counties in New York

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, October 8, 2020

NJ Burkett has more on the rules and restrictions in New York City COVID cluster hot spots, which take effect on Thursday.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The new restrictions in COVID-19 hot spots mean more schools are closing across New York City. The teachers' union said that the Department of Education informed principals of 33 additional schools that they will be closed starting Thursday.

The updated announcement Wednesday night came after the DOE compared Gov. Andrew Cuomo's COVID cluster maps against Mayor Bill de Blasio's nine ZIP code clusters.

All school buildings in the red zones and the orange zones will be closed and students will switch to remote learning.

If a school building was closed as part of the mayor's nine ZIP code plan, it remains closed. This list was 91 schools (spread over 108 locations).

Using the governor's maps, there are now 124 schools (spread over 153 locations) that fall in the red and orange zones. These schools will close and go fully remote.

This list includes the 91 original schools, plus 33 additional schools.

Click here to view the cluster maps if using the mobile app

The Cluster Action Initiative applies to all of Brooklyn as well as cluster parts of Queens, Rockland, Orange, Nassau and Broome counties.

The city is also monitoring rising cases in Crown Heights and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, the mayor said.

Kemberly Richardson has more on the new restrictions in New York COVID cluster zones.

The rules are broken down by three colors: Red is the cluster center. Orange is the surrounding area -- a ring around the center. Yellow is a ring around the orange ring -- the precautionary area.

In addition to the building closures in the red and orange zones, another 308 public school sites are identified in the yellow zone and will have mandatory weekly testing. Weekly testing is expected to begin next Friday.

Rules in the red area:

-Houses of worship - 25% capacity, 10 people maximum
-Mass gatherings prohibited
-Nonessential businesses closed
-Takeout dining only
-Schools closed

Rules in the orange area:

-Houses of worship - 33% capacity, 25 people maximum
-Mass gatherings - 10 people maximum, indoor and outdoor
-Businesses - Closing high risk nonessential business such as gyms and personal care
-Outdoor dining only with 4 person max per table
- Schools: remote learning only

Rules in the yellow area

-Houses of worship -50% capacity
-Mass gatherings - 25 people maximum, indoor and outdoor
-Businesses open
-Indoor and outdoor dining
-Schools - Mandatory weekly testing of students/teachers/staff for in-person classes. Testing will start next week.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced new rules to help fight COVID clusters, including closing nonessential businesses in the main and surrounding areas of a hot spot.

In the red zones, it will be like going back to April and May.

"If we all do this right, which we did before, in much tougher circumstances we contain this problem to a limited part of the city for a limited period of time, then we reopen in those places and keep moving forward," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Click here find out if you are in a COVID hot spot and what new restrictions apply.

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