The NYC Schools Closed By Coronavirus

NEW YORK CITY – Several universities, colleges and some private schools in New York City have shut down classes, moved to remote teaching or have closed temporarily for preparation as the new coronavirus continues to spread.

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Here's a look at affected schools.

NYC public schools

• The governor said all NYC public schools will close early this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to confirm that March 15.

Success Academy Charter Schools

• The largest charter school network in the city has suspended in-person classes for all its locations and transitioned to "remote learning" starting Thursday, March 19, until further notice. School staff will use Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 18 to finalize preparations for online and at-home learning for students in grades K-12, the school said.

Archdiocese of New York

• All of its elementary schools in Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island and upstate will close March 16. A decision about re-opening will be made at a later date.

Archdiocese of Brooklyn

• All of its elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens

Ethical Culture Fieldston School in The Bronx

• When: Tuesday, March 10.
• Details: The private school announced it was closed beginning Tuesday.

Riverdale Country School in The Bronx

• When: Tuesday, March 10.
• Details: Riverdale closed all lower, middle, and upper schools Tuesday because of a potential case at a neighboring school. Middle and upper school students were to meet with faculty using remote-learning platforms Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Brearley School, Upper East Side

• When: Monday, March 9, to Friday, March 13.
• Details: All middle and upper school classes were canceled for this week after a parent was tested for the virus.

Horace Mann, The Bronx

• When: Monday, March 9
• Details: All divisions of Horace Mann closed for students at the end of day Monday and were to resume Tuesday, March 31.

Spence School, Upper East Side

• When: Friday, March 6
• Details: The school closed Friday for a comprehensive sanitization of the entire campus.

Collegiate School, Upper West

• When: Friday, March 6
• Details: The school closed Friday for a comprehensive sanitization of the entire campus.

Yeshiva Har Torah, Little Neck, Queens.

• The school closed for a day of "distance learning" on March 11 after a rabbi tested positive.

Colleges and Universities

Columbia University

• When: Monday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 10.
• Details: The school canceled classes after a community member was exposed to COVID-19.

Fordham University

• When: Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10.
• Details: Face-to-face classes were suspended for two days and faculty were instructed to teach their classes online or electronically beginning Wednesday, March 11, until further notice.

NYU

• When: Wednesday, March 11, to Friday, March 13.
• Details: The university ordered all classes to be conducted remotely.

Yeshiva University

When: Monday, March 9, to Monday, March 16.
Details: A professor with ties to the student diagnosed with the virus also tested positive. Undergraduate classes at two campuses were cancelled this week and were expected to resume Monday, March 16.

St. John’s University

• Classes moved to online instruction Thursday, March 12, through Friday, March 27.

Barnard College

• Barnard moved to remote classes through the end of the week.

The Juilliard School

• When: Monday, March 16, to Sunday, March 29.
• Details: Juilliard suspended all college division in-person classes, activities, and performances from March 16 through March 29 and said it would transition to online classes March 16.

St. Joseph's College, Brooklyn

• When: Tuesday, March 10, until March 21.
• Details: The Brooklyn school suspended all in-person classes out of "an abundance of caution."

Pace University, Manhattan

• When: Wednesday, March 11, until March 29
• Details: Pace University will start remote learning on all three campuses with remote learning resuming after spring break.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Manhattan

• When: Wednesday, March 11
• Details: John Jay closed after a female student tested positive for novel coronavirus. On-campus classes are suspended Wednesday, but any fully online courses will proceed as scheduled.

CUNY

• All CUNY schools will move to remote learning from March 19 for the rest of the semester.

Fashion Institute of Technology

• All classes are suspended from March 16-22 to allow staff to prepare to potentially move to remote learning. Students can remain on campus but all large scale events are canceled through April

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment. Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are most at risk, according to health officials.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

With reporting by Dan Hampton/Patch