New York, Mar 16 (PTI) New York officials have announced the closure of city's public schools, the largest public school system in the nation, beginning Monday till at least April 20 and ordered all restaurants to limit to food takeaway only, as the city responded with "wartime mentality" to combat the fast-spreading deadly coronavirus.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that he has made the "painful decision" to suspend classes in all NYC public schools, beginning March 16. There are now 329 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York City and 5 fatalities.
As of Sunday evening, the US has reported over 3,700 cases of coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19. The disease has also killed 66 people in the US has spread to over 100 countries.
"This is a decision that I have taken with no joy whatsoever, with a lot of pain, honestly, because it's something I could not in a million years have imagined having to do. But we are dealing with a challenge and a crisis that we have never seen in our lifetimes and is only just begun, he said at a press conference on Sunday.
The New York public school system is the largest in the nation and about 1.1 million students from grades kindergarten to 12 will be impacted by the move.
The city will begin remote digital learning from March 23 as it puts in place the necessary infrastructure to transition to online learning. The city will move towards the remote learning model for all school days until Spring Recess in April and students will not report to school buildings for instruction until April 20, 2020 or longer if necessary.
Apart from schools, New York would be closing all theaters, nightclubs, bars and concert halls.
"As we learn more about COVID-19 every day, we are keeping every possible option on the table to keep New Yorkers safe. That's why we are asking the people of our city to make hard choices as we introduce more restrictive measures to create greater social distancing including the temporary closure of our school buildings. We all need to change our lives in ways both big and small to keep each other safe, the Mayor said.
Announcing "yet another drastic step, de Blasio said he will sign an executive order limiting restaurants, bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery. Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues will all close with effect from March 17, a significant measure that will ensure social distancing.
"The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together. We have to break that cycle, he said.
"This is not a decision I make lightly. These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality.
Authorities across the US are asking citizens to stay home, even if they are healthy to slow the transmission of COVID-19, which has so far infected 167,700 people across the world.
"We will come through this, but until we do, we must make whatever sacrifices necessary to help our fellow New Yorkers, the Mayor said adding that he calls upon New Yorkers to watch the children of their neighbors, friends, and members of the community who work in the healthcare sector in order to keep healthcare providers unaffected due to the school closings.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also urged the state's residents to stay home in order to slow the spread of the virus. What we do next will have a massive impact on the trajectory of this virus in New York. We can only maintain public health by staying apart. The decision each of makes now will impact us all tomorrow. Stay home.
