5 More Brooklyn Schools Report Coronavirus Cases: DOE

BROOKLYN, NY — Coronavirus cases were detected at five more Brooklyn schools over the weekend, bringing the total number of schools that have had positive COVID-19 cases since reopening to 37 in the borough, officials confirmed late Monday.

A pre-K center in Dyker Heights, P.S. 288 in Coney Island, Beth Jacob Day Care Center in Borough Park, P.S. 24 in Sunset Park and Aim High Children's Services in Flatbush each reported a confirmed case of COVID-19 among their staff between Friday and Monday, the Department of Education said.

At the pre-K center, P.S. 288 and Beth Jacob, the person with coronavirus had been in the school before their case was detected. All their close contacts have since been quarantined, officials said.

At the other two schools, the person with coronavirus had not yet reported to the building when they tested positive.

The most recent cases bring the total number of schools in Brooklyn that have seen a coronavirus case to 37 since educators started reporting to their buildings on Sept. 8.

Only one school in the borough, P.S. 139, has been closed because of the cases. It reopened on Sept. 17.

Under Department of Education policy, a school will be closed if there are two confirmed cases within seven days that are not linked to a particular classroom or group inside a school. One confirmed case will not prompt a school closure.

Students were expected to return for in-person classes on Sept. 21, a date that has since been pushed back for most students. Students at K-5 and K-8 schools will now return Sept. 29 and schools will fully reopen for all grades Oct. 1.

"While we continue to navigate the realities of a pandemic, there will be positive cases," the Department of Education said in a statement earlier this week. "We are putting people's health above everything else by quickly identifying and isolating positive cases to prevent further transmission."

All schools will have mandatory monthly random coronavirus testing starting in October.