New York schools staying closed through spring, Cuomo says

New York's schools and colleges will remain shut through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

The order, which applies to 4.2 million students statewide, continues a shutdown that had been set to expire May 15.

The Democratic governor said it is simply too risky to reopen when the virus is still sending nearly 1,000 people into the hospital every day.

We don't think it's possible to do that in a way that would keep our children and students and educators safe, so we're going to have the schools remain closed for the rest of the year, we're going to continue the distance learning programs," Cuomo said.

We must protect our children," he said.

"Every parent and citizen feels that."
Other coronavirus-related developments in New York: