Mariela Peralta would like to be in her classroom, but the fear of catching it from Ómicron has her protesting along with other teachers, in front of Crotona International High School in the Belmont sector of the Bronx.
“Yes, that is the fear, that we want to have a peaceful Christmas, that we are not catching it. And I hope to God that we do not bring any virus home,” explains the educational assistant.
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For this reason, some teachers have been protesting for two days with signs in hand, asking the municipal government to close this school before Christmas.
This is because 18 teachers and employees tested positive for COVID this week, which is equivalent to almost half of all their staff.
“In March 2020 it was the same. We were afraid but I stayed. I caught COVID and I took him home. My father almost died,” explains Peralta.
There are currently seven schools and more than 300 closed classrooms in New York City. In addition to nearly 3,000 students, teachers, and staff in quarantine.
In total, there are more than 800 registered COVID cases in schools.
Teachers at this campus, where the majority of its students are Hispanic and African American, say the hardest part of staying safe is having the students abide by the sanitation rules.
“We do not have social distancing, we don’t have many masks. We don’t have enough coronavirus tests, “says another teacher.
Teachers Union (UFT) president Michael Mulgrew said in a statement that when students return from Christmas break, the city has to specify how many cases are needed to close a classroom or school. This, in addition to a group in charge of managing the testing and monitoring process.
Currently, COVID testing is not required for students and staff.
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When it comes to vaccinations, Department of Education employees must be fully inoculated, but students must not. And for some teachers, this rule should apply to everyone.
“Since if a 5-year-old child needs to have his vaccinations up to date to start public school, why not do the same with all students in all public schools and start there,” said teacher Israel Soto. .
For its part, a spokesman for the Department of Education assured, in an email, that New York schools are a safe place. They believe that it will not be necessary to close the educational centers of the city at this time since the vast majority of New Yorkers are vaccinated.
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