New York City schools were set to remain open for at least another day despite a rising Covid-19 case count, the city's mayor said today, as surging infections and hospitalisations have prompted new restrictions and predictions of a difficult winter ahead.
New York, home to the nation's largest school district, reported a seven-day positive Covid-19 test rate of 2.74 per cent today - more than double what it was over the summer, but below the 3 per cent threshold that Mayor Bill de Blasio set for keeping schools open.
"Everyone's been participating in the things that have kept schools safe. Everyone has been wearing their masks and we need to keep doing that to do our very, very best to keep schools open," Mr de Blasio told reporters.
"We have some new challenges because of what's going on around us," he added.
Beyond New York City, which was the epicenter of the US Covid-19 crisis in the spring, infections have reached unprecedented levels nationwide.
Long winter ahead
Forty-one US states have reported record increases in Covid-19 cases in November, while 20 have seen a record rise in deaths and 26 reported record hospitalizations, according to a Reuters tally of public health data.
Twenty-five states reported test positivity rates above 10 per cent for the week ending on Sunday, November 15th.
The World Health Organization considers a positivity rate above 5 per cent to be concerning.
The Midwest remains the hardest-hit US region. It reported 444,677 cases in the week ending on Monday, November 16th, 36 per cent more than the combined cases of the Northeast and West regions.
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in the United States hit a record of 73,140 on Monday. Hospitalizations have increased over 46 per cent in past 14 days, according to a Reuters tally.
I know this is difficult and frustrating, especially with the holidays right around the corner
New York is among several northeast states that had managed to contain the virus relatively well over the summer after a frightening spring wave, but now has one of the highest week-over-week case increases as of Sunday.
Infections have also jumped in neighbouring Connecticut by more than 50 per cent in the last week from the week prior.
"Right now, we see the storm clouds coming again," Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont told MSNBC.
Governors of several states and city officials have imposed new restrictions on indoor gatherings in recent days to stem the spread of the disease over the winter, with the prospect of a widely available, effective vaccine still months away.
Several have urged citizens to exercise caution around the Thanksgiving holiday and not travel or socialise with extended family for the traditional indoor feast.
"I know this is difficult and frustrating, especially with the holidays right around the corner," Vermont Governor Phil Scott wrote on Twitter, referring to his ban on multihousehold gatherings.
"But it’s necessary & we need your help to get this back under control.”
