New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza released a letter Wednesday announcing schools would be closed on Thursday.
“Beginning Thursday, November 19, all school buildings will be closed, and all learning will proceed remotely for all students, until further notice,” the letter read. “You will hear from your principal shortly about next steps for you and your student. Please note that this is a temporary closure, and school buildings will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”
New York City has reached the three percent testing positivity seven-day average threshold.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also confirmed the temporarily closing of public schools via Twitter — private schools will not be impacted.
As of now, Crown Heights schools will remain open.
New York City has reached the 3% testing positivity 7-day average threshold. Unfortunately, this means public school buildings will be closed as of tomorrow, Thursday Nov. 19, out an abundance of caution.
We must fight back the second wave of COVID-19.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) November 18, 2020
A small piece of cloth. A bit of discomfort. If everyone in NYC would be wearing masks, the schools would not be closing! For now, in CH the schools are open. But if you want to ensure they stay open, the easiest and most proven way is WEAR A MASK!! In shul, in school, WEAR A MASK. Stop making l’chaims! Stop whining about your life being ruined – and take measures that ensure the schools stay open. It’s simple. Yes, it’s scientific, and it’s simple. If you want our kids in school, stop being the ‘expert’ who goes around saying… Read more »
If I already got the virus and don’t dont have it anymore who and what am I protecting by wearing a mask?!
Wear the damn mask!! Why not?? As stated above, if everyone wore a mask, the public schools would be open! You want CH schools to stay open? You and you and you and you…and your friends, and your relatives….WEAR A MASK! If we all wore masks, our school would stay open for sure! But we’ll continue having stupid gatherings (oh, yes, sure, very holy gatherings!) and shuls will be packed and maskless, a few will wear but most will not…and then the great brouhaha when the schools are forced to close! We pay a hell of a lot to send… Read more »
FREEDOM! Thats why!
You sure sound like a crown heights. cuz Outside, in the rest of the country, you cant go anywhere without a mask.
Seems to be helping doesnt it
Over and over again the medical experts say that the surest way to control – not defeat or cure – but to control the spread of the virus is by wearing masks. Without each person making their own cheshbon, everyone should wear a mask. It’s really simple. It only gets complicated when you start looking for loopholes and heters and anything to serve yourself. If you’re a decent human being, you’re wearing a mask. Period.
Not true. Many doctors-e.g Dr Simone Gold MD and Dr Zev Zelenko MD- actually say that masks don’t do anything. The virus is too tiny to be contained by the mask. Masks simply don’t work and could actually exacerbate the problem – as you are breathing in your own bacteria, blocking your airflow and weakening your immune system.
You are only protecting the massive government overreach that thinks it can force you to do something totally unnecessary for yourself because it knows what is best for you, even better than you.
And to all those not wearing a mask, you are protecting everyone’s individual civil liberties.
And for that I thank you
Berel – I don’t want to be outside when your’e driving. Clearly you don’t stop for stop signs or at red lights if you don’t feel like it. Your civil liberties!
When will the discussion be based on a halachic response, instead of emotion? For example, I’d argue that wearing a mask, even if you thought you can’t transmit, is at minimum maret ayin, appearing to others that we don’t need masks, like the appearence of doing something questionable on Shabbos. Second, although there is a prohibition to do as non-Jews, but this is only with fashion, and activities, not public health, Hashem y’rachem. Third, in matters of pikuach nefesh, like mivtzoim, we go to the furthest degree, like when the Rebbe says that even if you only ask someone if… Read more »
Time after time, the authorities have never missed an opportunity to show how corrupt they are and how they simply cannot be trusted. Yet, here you are advocating for people to follow their directives blindly and without question
There are studies saying that mask do not help. It’s the government is controlling you. all these years when people have the flu people with dying no one said nothing. Government wants to control your life
This is exactly a perfect example of STUPIDITY, IGNORANCE, and irresponsible crazy conspiracy theory!!
You might think you’re so cool, but this whole ‘govenment wants to control you’ thing is old, old stuff…and just shows your abject ignorance !
Prove it.
I can prove the opposite.
Show me studies that prove masks do anything?
Show me studies that prove wearing pants does anything?! Yet, we are forced to wear pants in public. If you wear pants, you can also wear masks. I don’t want to share your air and I don’t want to see your underwear.
Yes, because big goverment has your best interests at heart. Cuomo and De Blasio are alltrulistic and selfless men who really care about you and your well being. And they never miss an opportunity to show that… Starting with the nursing home debacle not to mention how they treat the BLM movement vs how they treat the Jewish community .
And our long history in Europe and other parts of the world also shows that big goverment really cares. They have absolutely no interest in controlling you and have no ulterior motives. No, none at all.
Just by the way, if you read about flu this year- numbers are down more than usual. It’s being attributed to mask wearing and precautions being taken for Covid. Masks do help reduce germ spread. Not eliminate it completely, but helps!
And strep cases are way up. I wonder why?
Overuse of Masks can be dangerous and can cause chas veshalom bacterial infection
And, not wearing a mask is a big Chilul Hashem too.
Can you stop making stuff up.
We don’t know how great the effect would be and signs are pointing to that not very:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-facemasks/danish-study-finds-face-masks-provide-limited-protection-to-wearer-idUSKBN27Y1YW
All along the science has promoted mask wearing to protect the OTHER person, not you! Both your ignorance and your selfishness are astounding!!
How can you force someone to wear something for someone else when a) they don’t want to b) they don’t need to?
“Q. How can you force someone to wear something for someone else when a) they don’t want to b) they don’t need to?”
A. The same way they can force you to wear pants, even when you don’t want to, and you feel you don’t need to, they make you wear pants in public!
They cant force you. I wear a skirt:)
The mask is for medical purposes. This is government overreach.
And I see lots of people walking around with their pants half down without being threatened with fines or summons. Why?
LMMO: Laughing my mask off!
The science has promoted mask wearing ? Really? If you can make such a definitive statement, then back it up and provide evidence. Name your sources.
Many good doctors have come out to state that masks do NOT work – including Dr Zev Zelenko and Dr Simone Gold MD.
Do you get your information from the authorities (e.g Cuomo and De Blasio) ? According to these same authorities (aka “scientists”), the virus does not appear to target mass BLM protests and riots. It must be a very “Smart” virus
It says it provided limited protection to wearer – maybe. But it sure provides some measure of protection to the other person. And that’s why you should wear a mask.
All those obedient goyim wore masks but their schools closed down anyways…they listened way better then us according to you because we don’t wear masks…this article btw is about public schools… they listened …but still closed …they wore masks all day in class (I know first hand) and they are still closed…so why are you preaching wear a mask as if that helped the public schools…please explain why you are ranting about something unevetible…
People are going around as if the virus does not exist. We are next…we will be forced to close our schools but no one cares..as long as they can party and do as they please. Wake up and open your eyes to what is going on around you.
What is unreal is that an entirely arbitrary positive % of administered tests triggers a shut down of all life on our planet because our betters decree it. I thought this was about not overwhelming the medical system… Remember when this was about not overwhelming the medical system… Well now apparently it’s simply about preventing people from getting the virus. Virus avoidance, in other words, something that has never been done in human history. There is no degree of isolation that anybody can say will guarantee this virus doesn’t hold beyond whatever arbitrary number our betters pull out of their… Read more »
So true and the death rate is extremely low. Plus positive rate among school children is 0.17%
That number 3% was part of a deal the NYC public school teachers’ union made with NYC in August. The teachers said that they would return to in-person classroom teaching as long as the city agreed to shut down the public schools when the positivity rate reached 3%. That is the reason for that arbitrary number. This does not affect private schools. However, as we all know, the coronavirus number of deaths and hospitalizations across the USA is the highest it has ever been since the beginning of the pandemic right now. In several states they now have run out… Read more »
If everyone wore masks without finding all kinds of ‘seforas’ to not wear them, our schools WILL STAY OPEN!
It’s simple! If you don’t care, well there’s nothing to say to you…but if you care, then wear a mask!!
Just like the lockdowns were to slow the spread and then would lift after the first two weeks? But somehow morphed to months AFTER the cases went down already?
You believe an assumption that is far from true. The sorry truth is that the schools are being shut down for political reasons unrelated to the virus.
Is it safe breathing in the air your body expels for hours at a time?
“Q.Is it safe breathing in the air your body expels for hours at a time?” A. Surgeons and surgery room nurses wear masks every day for hours at a time. They aren’t getting sick from it. Also many construction workers wear masks all day long to protect their lungs from dust. They aren’t getting sick. Also in many Asian countries, people wear masks all day long due to the poor air quality. Their health is not suffering from it. But you are worried maybe it isn’t safe to wear a mask?! One thing is sure, it isn’t safe NOT to… Read more »
You know nothing about construction workers and their masks apparently. My husband works in construction and no they would never wear a cloth or surgical mask to keep out dust or the paint they spray because it doesn’t. And the dust/paint are visible to the eye. (I can just imagine how effective it is against a microscopic virus, wether to keep it in or out.) And lots of studies do warn them about which kind of masks are approved for different tasks and length of times and level of exertion. Please do some proper research before you spout off your… Read more »
No it’s harmful according to all pre-covid studies. Ask a surgeon. We are witnessing delusional psychosis on a massive scale thanks to politicians and the media. Objective medical opinion is being shut down and censored. It’s nuts.
And then when the mayor says to close the schools, you’ll be the loudest voice screaming anti-semitism! You’ll be the one spearheading the whole ‘we’re being targeted’ thing. You’ll be the first one to incite a community to violent anti-authority speech. You’ll be the first one to make sure that everyone feels that it’s evil government going after the Jews.
And I bet you have no kids in school.
That’s right. It’s the evil government going after the Jews. We as free people do not consent to shutting down our schools, businesses or shuls no matter what. With or without rising covid cases. We do not consent to forced mask wearing either. We have that right. We don’t live in Cuba. Whoever is scared of covid can choose to wear a mask or stay home or not send their kids to school. I for one am done with this nonsense. I’d rather catch covid. Not sure why I still never got it even though I’ve been exposed multiple times… Read more »
It’s good thing that De Balsio was able to establish that the Covid virus does not target BLM and Antifa rioters. Apparently, Marxist ideology makes one immune from this virus. And the more you riot and the more buildings and cars you burn down, the greater the immunity. However, in contrast to BLM rioters, it has also been “scientifically” proven that Jews are more likely to spread the virus. That’s why it’s important to shut down their schools and communties while giving BLM and Antifa a blank cheque to riot, engage in violence and arson and wreak havoc. There is… Read more »
I guess they need the population to get restless cooped up at home so that they will be ready to riot when Trump is elected president for the next 4 years.
To all those claiming that schools wouldn’t be shut if everyone wore a mask, I have news for you. While the percentages are going up (ratio of positive to total tests), the actual raw number of POSITIVE CASES are way down from two weeks ago. So no this has nothing to do with masks or a virus surge.
“While the percentages are going up (ratio of positive to total tests), the actual raw number of POSITIVE CASES are way down from two weeks ago. So no this has nothing to do with masks or a virus surge.”
That’s why the hospitals are starting to fill up more, and more people are in ICU, and in Europe the health care system is crashing, because “the actual number of POSITIVE CASES are way down”! The surge of patients in hospitals are “negative cases”…I guess?!
Really? Maybe the hospitals are starting to fill up more with people who have other problems – one of them being breathing in their own carbon dioxide-laden air. Or because the lockdowns are affecting their physical and mental health in other ways. Or just because it’s wintertime, and more people tend to get sick at that time. Ever consider any of that?
Please explain why are they still banning immediate use of hydroxychloriquine with zinc based off a fraudulent study that has been retracted if they care so much about the hospital capacity and peoples lives? And now a peer reviewed study has been published that shows overwhelming effectiveness in early outpatient use but all we hear is crickets?!
Which hospitals and where?
As of 11/12/20
By zipcode of proud mask flaunters:
11213- 40 of the tests were reported as positive
11225- 29 of the tests were reported as positive
11203- 22 of the tests were reported as positive
And from 10/31/20 by zip…
11213- 111 of the tests were reported as positive
11225- 70 of the tests were reported as positive
11203- 99 of the tests were reported as positive
Which way is up or down?
I thought everyone already had it and the rest have herd immunity?! How can there be so many positives?? It’s fake!
What are you saying? Those who had corona months ago think that they are the only ones who exist. at least 45 percent of CH has not had it.
European system is socialized medicine and more likely to crash than a system based on the free market
People seem to espouse the need for us all to have “mesirus nefesh” to keep our schools open even when locations are required by ordinances to close. Loopholes are being abused in order to send our children during this pandemic, even while putting our families and community at continued risk due to increased chances of exposure, all for the sake of a proper chassidishe chinuch. Yet we can’t have a modicum of mesirus nefesh to wear a mask properly which would mitigate much of that risk to others who are at higher risk?!? This is not just about one single… Read more »
This part is false “…wear a mask properly which would mitigate much of that risk to others…” hence the non-compliance, but otherwise everyone agrees with the rest of your post on having mesiras nefesh for others. Now if they would only offer hydroxychloriquine over the counter like they do in other countries, we might actually have an effective way to protect high risk people. But what to do if the self-serving politicians are in charge?
Please see shulchanaruchharav com for a chabad halachic analysis on this issue