Schools Classrooms Close Doors Again In Latest Covid Surge
As schools brace for the rapid rise in omicron cases amid deltas continued onslaught and the onset of flu season, some are closing their doors once again and moving back to online learning ahead of the holiday break.
Prince Georges County in Maryland on Friday became the first major school district to announce that all students will transition to remote learning as cases surge. The shift to online learning will begin Monday, four days before the start of winter break, and continue for two weeks after school resumes on Jan. 3.
“Educators, administrators and support staff must be able to deliver in-person instruction and other activities in conditions that prioritize their own health, as well as the wellbeing of the school community,” Monica Goldson, the CEO of the countys public schools, said in a letter to the community. “The increased positivity rates have significantly challenged the ability to do so, causing anxiety among many school communities and disruption to the school day.”
In New York City, the Department of Education has closed 859 classrooms, quadruple the number of a month ago, and another nearly 2,500 were partially closed as newly reported Covid-19 infections rose sharply in the city. The city averaged 2,899 confirmed cases each day over the past week, according to the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, up from a daily average of around 1,800 cases over the past 28 days.
Giving Principals More Autonomy
As rising cases tax the Situation Room, education department officials updated their guidance to principals on Thursday, now allowing school leaders to make the call on quarantines before getting the official go-ahead.
If a positive case or intervention to a case comes late in the day, principals can call the close contacts of the case and ask them to stay home the next day and wait for further guidance from the Situation Room as long as they have seen a positive COVID test result in their school, the email to school leaders said. The principal does not need to wait for the Situation Room to give them the final intervention and letter package before communicating with those close contacts.
That guidance, however, raised more questions than it answered, said Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council for School Supervisors and Administrators, or CSA, the union representing principals and other school administrators. He criticized the education department for including the change in an email without working out details with the union, such as who else principals would have to notify if they quarantined individuals or what would happen if a principals decision differed from the Situation Rooms call.
The cases are going up, and cant handle the volume, Cannizzaro said. Someone may have made this change with the right intention let the principals do this so theyre not waiting but there should have been a meeting about it.
Will New York Shut Down Again Nobody Can Answer That Today Cuomo Says
Albany, N.Y. After warning earlier this week that New York is headed for another shutdown if the current Covid trajectory doesnt change, Gov. Andrew Cuomo sounded more optimistic today.
While no one can answer for certain whether the state will shut down again, Cuomo said he believes New Yorkers will act to ensure that doesnt happen.
It is totally in our control, he said during a press conference in Albany. A shutdown is totally avoidable.
New Yorkers get it. They see the numbers. New Yorkers are smart. I think theyre going to learn from Thanksgiving. I think youll see a smarter response through the holidays.
New York confirmed 12,697 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday, a record high. But the state also conducted its highest number of tests ever yesterday: 249,385.
Shutdowns like the one New York endured in the spring are harmful to businesses, workers, children and everyones mental health, Cuomo said. No one wants another one.
The danger remains overwhelming the hospital system with coronavirus patients. Cuomo has said hell mandate the closure of all nonessential businesses in any area where the seven-day average of the growth rate in hospitalizations shows the region would reach 90% of its hospital capacity within three weeks.
But on Thursday, hospitalizations, the number of people in intensive care units and the number of people intubated all fell. For months, all three of those figures have been rising steadily, sometimes sharply.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
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Cdc Says Moderna And Pfizer Vaccines Are Preferred Over Johnson & Johnson
An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed their preference for Pfizer-BioNTech and Modernas mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnsons jab.
Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said they were persuaded by new data showing that while blood clots linked to J& Js vaccine remain rare, theyre still occurring, and not just in younger women as originally thought.
The CDC quickly endorsed the panels recommendation Thursday and released a statement saying the updated guidance followed similar recommendations from other countries, including Canada and the U.K.
J& J said in a statement it’s confident the benefits of its vaccine outweigh the risks, and it remains an important choice for Americans who cant or wont return for multiple vaccinations.
Reopening Dates And Criteria By State
| State | ||
|---|---|---|
| Once 70 percent of residents have been fully vaccinated. | ||
| Puerto RicoP.R. | Further reopening plans will be announced before the current executive order expires on July 4. |
All across the country, mask mandates have eased, restrictions have lifted and most states have gone back to business as usual. It appears nearly the entire country will be open with few restrictions by the Fourth of July.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, it has been largely up to state and local officials to determine what restrictions, if any, to impose to slow new infections. A nationwide patchwork of rules for businesses and residents resulted over months of trial and error, as governors reopened some sectors only to later re-close and reopen them again as infection rates rose and fell.
States have moved closer to lifting all restrictions on businesses and gatherings as the vaccination campaign has progressed. In the few states that have yet to fully reopen, governors have set targets for doing so based on vaccination rates or other health measures.
A full reopening still comes with rules in many places. Some states continue to require the use of masks for unvaccinated people, and some governors are still mandating that businesses observe social distancing rules, even as they lift capacity limits.
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Cuomo: New York Will Shut Down Again If Coronavirus Spread Continues
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday warned New Yorki will again enter into a shutdown where all nonessential businesses are closed if the rate of coronavirus in the state doesn’t come down. In this photograph from Dec. 3, 2020, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unpacks a model of the boxes that will be used to distribute Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine across the country later this year.
ALBANY If the current rate of COVID-19 infection stays steady, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the state will be forced to once again institute a shutdown in which all nonessential businesses are closed.
All the numbers across the world are going up all the numbers across the nation are going up welcome to the holiday season,” Cuomo said in his Monday briefing. If we dont change the trajectory were going to go to shut down, and then your business is going to close.
The statewide positivity rate Monday was 5.66 percent on about 159,000 tests, which works out to 9,000 new cases. Cuomo stressed that hospital capacity remains a concern, and that the state Department of Health expects hospitals around the state to plan proactively to avoid being overwhelmed.
“Dont wait to get overwhelmed and then call and say, I have people on gurneys in the hallways,'” Cuomo said. “Its too late.
“That’s because we don’t want to be Italy,” Cuomo said, referring to how that nation’s health care system was swamped by the virus.
Covid Curse Strikes Celebrated Michelin
Forget about the vaccines vs. the variant New York Citys survival depends on the outcome of Gov. Kathy Hochul vs. hysteria.With daily positivity rates soaring even in the Big Apple, Hochul untested in high-stakes economic and social governance will soon come under enormous pressure to lock us down once again.Shes easily cowed to catastrophic effect: Her absurd mask mandate for offices that are largely empty only prolonged their empty state by giving employees more reason to stay home.So far, Hochul has wisely emphasized accelerated vaccination and testing efforts. But shes more than left the door open to locking down. I am not an alarmist. Im not considering shutting down schools or the economy at this time, Hochul said Oct. 2.At this time.
Governor, we hear you and tremble.
Make no mistake: A second total lockdown like the one then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed on the state from March to June 2020, and only mildly eased in the months that followed, would guarantee the utter destruction of New York City that Cuomos jackboot only narrowly avoided.Simply put, the citys real estate, media, retail and hospitality industries wont survive even a brief second lockdown. Every landlord and business owner I know tells me the same things: The citys irrepressible, beating heart will be stilled institutionally and among millions of us who were ready to brave an uncertain, sometimes interrupted future that no one was ready to give up on.
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We Cant Shut Down Our City Again Says Incoming New York City Mayor As Covid
South China Morning Post published this video item, entitled We cant shut down our city again, says incoming New York City mayor as Covid-19 cases climb below is their description.
Incoming New York mayor Eric Adams has reiterated his pledge not to shut the city down despite a surge in daily Covid-19 infection rates. Speaking on December 30, 2021, the day before he took office, Adams promised a new city plan to tackle the pandemic, including greater access to in-home and in-school testing and a new review of vaccine mandates. The US has been setting fresh records for daily Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, with 488,000 new infections reported on December 29 alone.
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Nyc Covid Closures: Some Citymd Locations Temporarily Shut Down
Feds ramp up COVID response
The Biden administration is looking to ease the lines at COVID testing sites by distributing millions of home test kits and sending FEMA to open more sites, including some in New York.
NEW YORK – As a coronavirus surge continues in New York City some CityMD locations are temporarily closing due to staffing issues.
In a message on its website CityMD stated: “Continuing to provide these services to the community is a top priority however, our physicians and teammates are also a priority. To preserve our ability to staff our sites, we are temporarily closing certain locations effective tomorrow, December 22. It is our hope that closing sites now will best allow us to avoid future closures as this surge continues.”
The clinics have become popular spots for coronavirus tests. Long lines had formed for hours outside the company’s clinics across the city.
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The company resumed virtual line systems at its locations in an effort to reduce the lines.
Along with New York City, there are around 150 CityMD locations across Long Island and parts of New Jersey.
The closures, effective Wednesday, include four clinics in Manhattan and three each in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Three locations in New Jersey, two on Long Island and one in Westchester are also closed.
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No 1: Declaring A Disaster Emergency In The State Of New York
EXECUTIVE ORDER
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 global pandemic has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization since early 2020
WHEREAS, the United States Health and Human Services Secretary declared a public health emergency for the entire United States to aid the nations healthcare community in responding to COVID-19 on January 31, 2020
WHEREAS, New York is now experiencing COVID-19 transmission at rates the State has not seen since April 2020
WHEREAS, the rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions has been increasing over the past month to over 300 new admissions a day
WHEREAS, the state must pursue a coordinated approach to ensure hospital capacity statewide is able to meet regional needs
WHEREAS, the State government must support the municipalities and counties in their efforts to facilitate and administer vaccinations and tests for COVID-19, and to prevent the virus from continuing to spread at such rates
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of New York, hereby find, pursuant to Section 28 of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, that a disaster has occurred in New York State, for which the affected local governments are unable to respond adequately, and I do hereby declare a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New York through January 15, 2022 and
Northwell Hospitals Restrict Visitors
With the COVID-19 numbers growing, South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and Huntington Hospital will no longer allow most visitors starting Thursday, said Northwell Health spokesman Jason Molinet.
North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park will suspend most visitation starting Sunday, and Plainview Hospital and Syosset Hospital will do the same starting Monday, he added.
At South Shore University Hospital, for instance, one visitor per patient is allowed for labor and delivery, pediatrics, certain medical necessities and end-of-life care, as long as the visitors can show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in the previous 72 hours.
The health system’s other Long Island hospitals have similar policies, Northwell spokeswoman Miriam Sholder said.
Northwell, which owns and operates 19 hospitals, including 11 on Long Island, is adding the new restrictions “to prevent any spread of infection,” said Joe Moscola, an executive vice president.
The announcement came a day after Mount Sinai South Nassau said it won’t allow visitors to emergency room patients at its hospital in Oceanside and stand-alone emergency room in Long Beach.
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As Virus Cases Surge New Yorkers Feel A Familiar Anxiety
Vaccinated residents who had embraced a return to some normalcy are unsettled: Its scary it feels like weve been here before.
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By Michael Wilson, Sharon Otterman, Lola Fadulu and Ashley Wong
Holiday plans abruptly reversing, restaurants closing, Broadway shows going dark while, blocks away, long lines form outside testing sites its as if it were 2020 all over again.
The startling rise in coronavirus infections has whiplashed New York City and the surrounding region. Once more, most everyone seems to know someone who is infected.
Millions of people who have followed the citys guidelines and received two or even three vaccination shots, who have in recent weeks and months enjoyed a return to many of their old practices riding the subway, dining indoors, partying with friends face an uncertain future.
Its scary it feels like weve been here before, said Emma Clippinger, 36, waiting in a long line outside a testing site in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on Thursday. It feels like last year, last winter, despite the vaccines and despite the boosters, and its the same game plan, but it also feels like we get defeated often.
It is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday.
Positive Case Numbers Are Soaring But Mayor De Blasio Doesn’t Want To See Any Shutdowns Happening
On Sunday, the state of New York clocked a new record when it comes to cases of Covid-19: the positivity rate in New York is now at 8.4%, and the state has logged nearly 22,500 cases. With hours-long testing lines and scant supplies of at-home testing kits once again becoming the norm, its natural to wonder what arts institutions in New York are doing to adapt their protocols to suit the recent surge this question is especially relevant given the increasing ubiquity of the highly contagious Omicron variant. On December 6, Mayor de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate for private sector workers that goes into effect on December 27.
I do not see a scenario for any kind of shutdown because we are so vaccinated as a city, de Blasio added in a press conference on Monday. We dont want to shut down, we want to vaccinate. Simple as that. By December 27, children in New York aged 12 and older will have to show proof that theyve received two vaccine doses in order to gain access toindoor dining, fitness, entertainment and performance venues.
The Metropolitan Museum of Arts official guidelines currently make no mention of Omicron, but they do specify that all visitors over 5 must display proof of at least one vaccination dose in order to enter the museum the museums page also mentions the December 27 mandate. The museums official social channels have made no recentmention of the surge.
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