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Pretty surprised we have not heard more from @NYCMayor about schools at his daily presser, considering the positivity rate citywide has surged to 9% and we're not seeing an Christmas or New Year's spikes yet.
Asked about other districts that closed for an extra two weeks so people could post-holiday quarantine, @NYCMayor said the city's testing program would be sufficient to ensure schools are safe.
However... in the days ahead of the winter break, the number of schools closed due to multiple cases had surged to a new high. That's dropped way down after two weeks of schools being closed for break, but keep an eye on that number moving forward.
. @NYCMayor cited the low positivity rate in schools, and it is true that less than 1% of those tested through the in-school testing system have tested positive...
...but that rate in the table above is based only on in-school tests done.
It doesn't include tests done outside of school -- which is where you'd go for your test if you had symptoms, because you're not supposed to go to school if you are sick.
It doesn't include tests done outside of school -- which is where you'd go for your test if you had symptoms, because you're not supposed to go to school if you are sick.
The city's testing program has identified 1,096 positives -- presumably most if not all of them asymptomatic if they were tested during a normal school day.
But overall, more than 7,000 positives have been reported to DOE.
But overall, more than 7,000 positives have been reported to DOE.
Another thing that went totally unmentioned: State regulations for re-opening schools said any district that hit a 9% positivity rate would have to close.
The city and state don't measure this the same way, and while the city says we've hit 9%, the state does not agree.
The city and state don't measure this the same way, and while the city says we've hit 9%, the state does not agree.
To complicate matters even further (I know that seems impossible) it's unclear whether schools will close even if the city reaches 9% under the state's data, because the governor's office has refused to respond to questions about whether that threshold is still in place!
So: Will a school system be shut down for in-person learning if the positivity rate, as calculated by the state, hits 9%? @melissadderosa @RichAzzopardi @PeterAjemian?
(a bunch of people have been asking this for weeks but hey, it's worth another try!)
(a bunch of people have been asking this for weeks but hey, it's worth another try!)
