New York to impose new shutdowns in coronavirus hot spots
Andrew Cuomo said Monday he's ordering schools in certain New York City neighborhoods closed within a day in an attempt to halt a flare-up of the coronavirus. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday, saying the severity of shutdowns would vary by proximity to the hot spots. In orange zones, schools also will be remote-only, and nonessential enterprises considered high risk — such as gyms and personal-care businesses — will be closed. In yellow zones, businesses and schools can stay open, with mandatory weekly testing of a yet-to-be-determined percentage of students and teachers. In New York City, about 11,600 people have tested positive since Sept. 1, compared with less than 7,400 in August.
In NYC and LA, returning pupils face battery of virus tests
The city's plans to send kids back into classrooms rely on an ambitious plan to do random virus testing of pupils and staff throughout the school year. The New York and Los Angeles systems are respectively the nation's largest and 2nd-largest school districts. New York City elementary school students began returning to school buildings Tuesday after starting the year remote. Middle and high school students started going back Thursday. Boston Public Schools will offer random virus testing to 5% of teachers weekly, under an agreement with the teachers union.