• Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York on Sunday announced that New York City’s public schools would shut down this week.
  • The city’s public-school system is the largest in the US, and its closing was at the center of a contentious debate among officials seeking to ramp up the region’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
  • Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City and Cuomo were vocal about the wide array of challenges to closing schools, which are relied on for meals and childcare by low-income families.
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New York City’s public schools will shut down starting this week as the city and surrounding areas ramp up their response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday.

The city’s public-school system is the largest in the US, and it is now set to close in the week ahead along with schools in neighboring counties such as Westchester and on Long Island, the governor said.

A statement from NYC Department of Education released Sunday said Monday would mark a city-wide system closing. Teachers and administrators are to be trained on remote learning during the week as students pick up necessary technology and guidelines from their schools for remote learning.

On Monday, March 23, remote learning is scheduled to begin for kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools are scheduled to reopen on April 20, according to the statement.

The move is the most disruptive yet in the city's response to the virus, affecting 1.1 million students and 75,000 teachers, according to The New York Times.

The announcement came hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated that the city's schools would remain open, a declaration he repeated throughout the previous week as many of the city's workplaces and other public institutions closed their doors to employees and visitors.

NBC News reported that teachers across the city objected to the schools remaining open, however, as districts in Los Angeles and Seattle announced they were closing in response to the spread of the virus.

As other major cities closed their school doors, de Blasio and Cuomo were vocal about the wide array of challenges in closing schools, which act as a source of meals and childcare for children in low-income families.

"There are school districts that are in wealthier parts of the state where the families are in a position where one parent stays home or they can hire a caregiver. But then there's everybody else, right?" Cuomo wrote in an open letter to President Donald Trump demanding federal action.

"It sounds simple, it's not simple," Cuomo wrote. "You close the school, how do you feed the children? For many children the breakfast and the lunch are the two main meals they get and they get that at the school."

When the announcement to close was made, the city had confirmed five deaths from the virus and 329 confirmed cases. US health officials have urged Americans to practice "social distancing" to decrease the chance of spreading infection and overall slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Bars and restaurants have been called to close. In addition to businesses and public spaces across the country, 21 other states and Washington, DC, have announced the closing of K-12 schools for varying lengths and to varying degrees to enforce social distancing.