NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – After new coronavirus outbreaks in New York, schools in nine districts of the metropolis have to close again. In these zip code districts, around 5.5 percent of coronavirus tests are currently returning positive, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday. All schools in these districts would have to close on Tuesday. Unlike Mayor Bill de Blasio previously requested, restaurants, bars and shops are initially allowed to remain open – with mask compulsory, hygiene rules and limited capacity.
After several postponements, the schools in the metropolis had only started again last week to at least temporarily teach students on site. With more than a million students, New York’s school district is the largest in the United States – and one of the few metropolitan areas in the country where at least some of the regular classes were planned. Just last week, restaurants, cafes and bars were allowed to serve food and drinks indoors for the first time since March – under strict hygiene conditions, with masks and severely limited capacity.
In addition to schools, the virus is currently being transmitted in the affected districts, especially at large religious events, said Cuomo. “We have been seeing this for weeks, no masks and violations of the rules of distance.” He will meet on Tuesday with representatives of the Orthodox Jewish communities, many of whom live in the affected districts, to discuss compliance with the rules. “This can not go on like this anymore.”
New York was one of the epicentres of the corona pandemic in the spring. In the meantime, the number of cases has largely stabilized at a low level. Of the tens of thousands of tests per day in the state of New York with around 19 million inhabitants, around one percent are currently positive. In total, more than 460,000 people have been infected with the virus in the state so far and more than 25,000 have died from it./cah/DP/he
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