Cuomo Says He’ll Shut Schools Down if Virus Spreads

Governor Cuomo says that if schools start to see a spread of coronavirus, he'll step in and shut schools down, as districts in the Utica-area prepare to reopen.

In a press conference Monday, Governor Cuomo stressed the importance of schools communicating with parents and teachers to ensure that all constituencies feel comfortable with school reopening plans.

Cuomo says parents have been asking what would happen if a child tested positive. The Governor says if a school sees a "spread" of the virus, the state would step in and close that individual school. The Governor was not specific about what might constitute a spread.

"If something happens, and there's a spread, then the state will step in and we will close the school," Cuomo said. "But we don't want to get to that point. That's exactly what we want to avoid."

District across the Central New York and the rest of the state have been releasing reopening plans in compliance with guidelines from the Department of Health and NYSED.

Teachers unions from Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and Yonkers have said they aren't comfortable going back for in-person instruction, and would rather wait until October to step back in a classroom. The Rome City School District says they will continue with virtual instruction only until October, and then reevaluate.