Coronavirus Cases Close 3 Washington Heights Schools

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Coronavirus cases have temporarily closed three Washington Heights schools, which returned to in-person learning last week after the winter holiday recess.

P.S. 132, P.S. 48, and P.S. 5 were among 105 schools across New York City facing a 24-hour closure on Monday, according to the Department of Education's map of active cases.

The closures come after at least two cases of coronavirus were reported within each school.

The P.S. 132 building, located at 185 Wadsworth Avenue, had three classrooms closed Monday in the Dos Puentes Elementary School, which shares the campus. The P.S. 48 building, located at 4360 Broadway, had two classrooms closed Monday in the Michael J. Buczek school, which shares the campus.

And in the P.S. 5 building, located at 3703 Tenth Avenue, two classrooms are closed within the location.

According to the Department of Education's guidelines, school buildings must automatically close pending an investigation when at least two COVID-19 cases linked to each other are confirmed in separate classrooms. The closure is extended when the infections occurred outside of school or a link between them cannot be determined.

About 200 schools citywide are under coronavirus closures, whether for 24 hours or longer, and 682 classrooms are closed, according to the map.

Only pre-K, 3K, kindergarten, elementary and students with special needs are learning in person given a full public school shutdown in November.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, before students and teachers went on winter recess, said middle school students will be the next group to return to classrooms. A timeline for their return will be announced this month, he said.

Officials hope to avert another disruptive citywide school closure that shifts all students to fully remote, as happened in November. Coronavirus cases across the city remain at months-long highs, but schools appear to be relatively safe.

Find more information on school closures here.

Patch reporter Anna Quinn contributed to this report.