Astoria, Dutch Kills School Staffers Test Positive For COVID-19

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Staffers at two Western Queens public schools have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Department of Education data released Tuesday night.

P.S. 111 in Dutch Kills and P.S. 84 Steinway each had one confirmed case as of Monday, officials said. The individuals who tested positive has been instructed to isolate, and the city's Test & Trace Corps and Department of Health are working on tracking down others who were in close contact with them.

Staffers at 56 New York City public schools have tested positive for the virus, including at 10 schools in Queens, the Department of Education said.

That includes two schools with two separate cases: P.S. 811X The Academy for Career and Living Skill in the Bronx and P.S. 139 in Brooklyn. Both were closed automatically for an initial 24-hour period for a deep cleaning and as officials investigated whether the cases were linked.

Outside the New York City public school system, a yeshiva in Far Rockaway was ordered closed after at least 13 cases of the virus were confirmed there, Politico New York reported. Department of Health officials arrived at the school Tuesday to shut it down after it continued holding in-person classes, according to Gothamist.

Students signed up for a mixture of in-person and remote learning are scheduled to return to the classroom Monday, though the already-delayed school year started remotely Wednesday with an online orientation.