Peekskill Coronavirus Micro-Cluster: Schools Work On Next Steps

PEEKSKILL, NY — Because Peekskill has been declared a micro-cluster yellow zone, school officials in the Peekskill school district decided to have remote instruction Friday for all students in the district.

"The District has been planning in the event of this designation, and we are continuing to plan our next steps," Superintendent David Mauricio said in a message to parents.

Thursday evening, school officials discussed next steps with city and Westchester County officials.

In addition to Peekskill, four other communities in Westchester — New Rochelle, Yonkers, Ossining and Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow — were designated micro-cluster zones Thursday because of the high rate of new coronavirus infections. Yellow zones were also named in Rockland and Orange counties.

They are all yellow zones, meaning schools can remain open, but 20 percent of the weekly in-class student and teacher population must be tested for the virus.

Administrators also told parents of:

• One potential positive case at Woodside Elementary
• One confirmed COVID-19 case at Woodside Elementary
• One confirmed case at Oakside Elementary
• One confirmed case at Peekskill High School

You should be notified by the Department of Health if you are considered a close contact and need to quarantine or be tested. Schools are contact tracing at the school level as well. Principals will send follow up messages to anyone deemed a close contact at the school level.

Please note that the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to the regular seasonal influenza, including: fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Some individuals have reported additional symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, nausea, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.