Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday plans to reopen New York schools in regions of the state with less than a 5 percent coronavirus infection rate, also saying he'd sign an executive order to gather personal information from those traveling to the state from parts of the U.S. deemed to be COVID-19 hot spots.
The Empire State's chief executive said the decision will be made on the first week of August whether public schools can welcome back students after campuses were shuttered in mid-March due to the pandemic.
"Common sense and intelligence can still determine what we do, even in this crazy environment," Cuomo told reporters. "We’re not going to use our children as guinea pigs."
A region has to be in Phase 4 of its reopening and have an infection rate of less than 5-percent over a 14-day rolling average.
Schools, after a restart, will have to shut down if a 7-day infection rate hits 9 percent, according to the governor.
New York City officials last week rolled out plans to bring back students to the nation's largest school system this fall, but for only two or three days a week — though the governor will still have final say on when campuses in the five boroughs reopen.
"We are not going to use our children as a litmus test," Cuomo said. "We're not going to put children in a place where their health is in danger."
In the first wave of the pandemic in the U.S., New York and its neighboring states were the hardest hit by COVID-19. But in recent weeks, the Northeast has generally driven down the rate of infection and deaths.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut banded together last month to ask visitors from states deemed to be coronavirus hotspots to quarantine for 14 days.
Cuomo put some more teeth in that standard on Monday, saying he'd sign an executive order for out-of-state travelers to provide contact information upon entering New York. Travelers not providing that contact information could face a fine of $2,000.
