Yonkers Insider: Statement from Yonkers City Council, Majority Leader, Corazon Pineda Issac, 2nd District.

Hello everyone, Many parents are wondering what the new school year will look like with September right around the corner. Governor Cuomo this week announced guidelines to instruct districts statewide on when they could potentially reopen. The guidelines state that a school can reopen if its in a Phase 4 region with a daily infection rate of less than 5% using a 14 day average. Schools would have to close if the regional infection rate rises above 9 percent, using a 7-day average, after August 1. New York State will make the formula determination during the week of August 1 to 7. To read more on the guiding principles for reopening schools, put forth by New York State, the Reimagine Education Advisory Council and the New York State Department of Health, please click here. I know it seems like a long summer, with our movements and interactions limited by the pandemic. We are all eager to return to our normal lifestyles. Nonetheless, we are still faced with COVID-19 as a serious threat to the health of our community. As of July 15th, there have been over 7,000 reported COVID-19 cases throughout the City of Yonkers since the start of the pandemic (these are not active cases). There have been reports of COVID-19 cases spiking throughout other cities in the U.S. We cannot allow Yonkers to be one of those cities. Please remember to maintain social distancing, keep wearing your personal protective equipment and practice preventative measures. As long as COVID-19 cases are being reported, this is our new normal. The road to recovery is a long one, but we'll get through this together.

Best regards,   Hon. Corazon Pineda-Isaac E-mail: corazon.pineda.isaac@yonkersny.gov Tel: (914) 377-6312