NEW YORK _ City schools will shut down immediately and stay closed for at least a month because of the coronavirus, Mayor de Blasio announced Sunday after days of mounting pressure.
"We will make a first attempt to restart our schools on Monday, April 20," de Blasio said. "But I have to be honest we are dealing with a lot of unknowns and a lot of challenges."
Schools could be closed for the rest of the school year if conditions don't improve, he said.
"I have no words for how horrible it is, but it has become necessary," the mayor said.
Gov. Cuomo decreed earlier Sunday that schools in the city must shut down by Wednesday and that city officials must submit a plan for childcare for essential workers by the end of the day Monday.
The decision sends more than one million city students home while schools shutter amid the virus's unprecedented spread.
Classes will be shut down entirely for the coming week and online learning will begin on March 23. All schools will be open this week for "grab-and-go" meals for students who depend on school lunch.
After that, the city will keep some schools open as "learning centers" to provide childcare for essential workers including health care workers. The centers will be staffed by teachers.
"You will literally be in a position to help form the backbone of the system we need to keep our health care workers at their posts," de Blasio said. "We cannot lose our healthcare workers."
The nation's largest school system stayed open longer than nearly any other major system nationwide as city officials scrambled to create backup plans to feed and care for students whose families rely on schools for basic needs.
Pressure on city officials ramped up dramatically in recent days, with Gov. Cuomo saying Sunday he believed city schools must close, along with the city teachers union.
