Public high schools will reopen for in-person learning on March 22 after being closed since November. Officials say about half will provide in-school instruction to all or most of their students five days a week. NBC New York’s Ray Villeda reports.
What to Know
- A new peer-reviewed study finds no increased prevalence or overall incidence of COVID-19 infection associated with in-person learning in the city's public schools compared with the general community
- Of the 234,132 people tested across 1,594 different schools, only 0.4% tested positive, showing that COVID-19 prevalence in schools was similar to or less than estimates of prevalence in the community
- "We’ve said that our public school buildings are some of the safest places in New York City -- and we’ve got the numbers to back it up,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement Wednesday
A peer-reviewed study published by the journal Pediatrics of COVID-19 infections in New York City schools offers the strongest evidence to date of low transmission within in-person learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.
The study, led by Senior Health Adviser Dr. Jay Varma, analyzed hundreds of thousands of in-school COVID-19 tests from a three-month period and includes results from contact tracing investigations for more than 36,000 students and staff quarantined after COVID-19 exposure in a school building.
Drawing on hundreds of thousands of tests conducted between Oct. 9 and Dec. 18, the study finds no increased prevalence or overall incidence of COVID-19 infection associated with in-person learning in the city's public schools compared with the general community. Of the 234,132 people tested across 1,594 different schools, only 986 (0.4 percent) tested positive, showing that COVID-19 prevalence in schools was similar to or less than estimates of prevalence in the community.
COVID-19 at New York City Public Schools
This map shows all known cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. It is updated Sunday through Friday at 5:30 PM.
Building that has been closed
One or more classrooms has been closed
A member of the school community has tested positive but the school community was not exposed
Source: nyc.gov
When comparing 2,231 COVID-19 cases that occurred in students and staff with 86,576 people in New York City diagnosed during the same period, the total number of newly reported cases was lower for people in public schools compared with the general community. Of 36,423 school-based close contacts, 191 (0.5 percent) tested positive for COVID-19 during quarantine monitoring.
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This "attack" rate is substantially lower than the rate of transmission that occurs in households, city officials say, which they say demonstrates the effectiveness of the safety and health measures within school buildings.
Local
"We’ve said that our public school buildings are some of the safest places in New York City -- and we’ve got the numbers to back it up,” de Blasio said. “Our school reopening plan has been hailed as the gold standard with good reason and has set a model for the rest of the nation."
Many of the measures the city implemented before the school year - which combine physical distancing, universal mask usage, contact tracing, improved ventilation, and frequent in-school testing -- are now included in CDC guidance. City officials say that establishes their schools as a model for the nation -- and those same prevention efforts will be part of high schools reopening March 22.
“This study shows that New York City is able to safely provide more students in-person learning than any other major school district in this country," incoming new schools chancellor Meisha Porter said. "Our schools are safe, and we will continue to analyze the data and follow the advice of public health experts closely as we welcome back our students and staff."
