Coronavirus: New York schools to reopen, governor Andrew Cuomo says

Schools can repoen for in-person classes in all regions of New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced.

"By our infection rate, all schools can reopen in all regions of the state," Mr Cuomo said during a conference call on Friday. "We are going to watch the infection rate between now and the day the schools open. If there is a spike in the infection rate ... then we can't reopen. But for planning purposes, they can reopen."

He added: "So the good news, all schools can reopen ... again we have the best infection rate in the country. If any state can do it, we can do it."

This announcement has solidified New York's standing in the country as being one of few states with a stable coronavirus infection rate. For months prior, the state, specifically New York City, was the epicentre of the novel virus in the US.

Now Mr Cuomo was giving permission to 749 school districts to reopen, but that doesn't mean that all districts will reopen. Instead, it will be up to local politicians and administrators to come up with a plan for how their district can safely reopen. These plans then must be submitted to New York State Public Health Department for approval.

Thus far, 127 districts in the state have not submitted plans for reopening safely to be approved by the state's health department. Additionally, about 50 schools that submitted plans have submitted "incomplete" or "deficient" plans, Mr Cuomo said.

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