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The closure starts on Monday, March 16 and lasts through at least Monday, April 20, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement late Sunday afternoon, March 15.
Five people -- all with underlying health issues -- have died in New York City due to COVID-19, accounting for all but one of the fatalities in the state linked to the virus. The other death, in Rockland County, was a Suffern resident.
"It is time to take more dramatic measures," said de Blasio, who added that there is a chance schools could remain closed for the rest of the school year.
Remote learning for K through 12 students in the city will start on Monday, March 23. This week, schools will be open to provide students in need breakfast and lunch while staff prepares for the weeks of online schooling, de Blasio.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said the city has found partners for the approximately 300,000 of the school system's 1.1 million students in need of electronic devices for the online sessions.
The Federal Reserve announced it is responding to the pandemic by dropping its interest rate from 1.25 to zero to 0.25 percent, marking the first time it has done that since the 2008 financial crisis.
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