NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York City schools will remain open on Monday as the city's rolling positivity rate stayed below 3% Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The test positivity on a seven-day average was 2.57%, the mayor tweeted Sunday morning. It was 2.8% on Friday and dropped to 2.47% on Saturday.
De Blasio said schools would immediately close for in-person learning if the positivity rate surpassed 3%.
"Thankfully, schools will remain open on Monday, but we have to keep fighting back with everything we've got," de Blasio tweeted.
The positivity rate has been much lower in schools at about 0.18%.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that he thinks New York City should "seriously consider" other factors like the positivity rate in schools before thinking about moving to all-remote learning if the city reaches the 3% benchmark.
"Add to your calculus a positivity rate in the school, because if the school is not spreading the virus or if the school has a much lower positivity rate than the surrounding area then the school is not part of the problem," the governor said.
De Blasio said Friday that parents should "be prepared" for the possibility of schools shutting down "as early as Monday."
The mayor said the city will "immediately alert parents" if public schools plan to close, and he's urging families to plan for that potential announcement as soon as this weekend.
"People should get ready," de Blasio said in a radio interview. "This is not something any parent wants to deal with. But we should get ready. And parents should have a plan for the rest of the month of November. I think that's the safe way to think about it. Have an alternative plan beginning as early as Monday for whatever will help them get through this month if school is not open."
