Governor Andrew Cuomo has released his promised guidance for school reopenings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it will follow the model set by the data-driven economic reopening.
Schools will be allowed to reopen in the fall in regions which are at State 4 of reopening, which now covers all of Upstate New York. The daily coronavirus infection rate must remain lower than five percent over a 14-day average. That would cover all Rochester area school districts. After the first week of August, if a region’s infection rate surges above nine percent over a week’s time, school openings would be halted.
The State Health Department also released guidelines for social distancing and masking in schools.
The governor said the virus could be reintroduced into New York from other states, saying 39 states are now having a spike.