New York City shut down a Bronx public school building in response to a student contracting the coronavirus, marking the first case of its kind in the city.
“This morning, we are closing two co-located schools, the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology and South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School, due to a student’s self-confirmed positive case of COVID-19,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said in a statement.
“We don’t make this decision lightly, and we know the disruption and anxiety this means for students, faculty and parents. We are taking every precaution to keep people safe, and we will keep everyone informed as we learn more through the day,” the mayor continued.
“The Health Department will trace close contacts of this individual to recommend quarantine and testing as necessary,” he added. “The Department of Education will completely disinfect the building, and it will be closed for an initial 24-hour period.
Shortly after De Blasio’s statement, his spokesperson, Freddi Goldstein, clarified that the city had not confirmed the case, but rather, the case is “self-confirmed” by the student’s parents.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking action based on this parent’s credible report,” said Goldstein.
Earlier Thursday, De Blasio said the city’s public school system and subway system will remain open as the city’s case count hit 62.
“We’re not going to shut down a subway system,” the mayor told CNN. “If you shut down a subway system, then you’re shutting down an economy and you’re shutting down work and livelihood.”
“I don’t want to see Broadway go dark if we can avoid it. I want to see if we strike some kind of balance,” he added. “If we cannot strike the balance, of course we can go to closure, that’s the decision we will make right away.”
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