COVID clusters across Brooklyn force 2 school closures

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and health officials are working to contain coronavirus clusters in more than a dozen zip codes across the state.

News 12 Staff

Oct 4, 2020, 3:11 PM

Updated 1,470 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo and health officials are working to contain coronavirus clusters in more than a dozen zip codes across the state.
In Brooklyn communities like Gravesend, Midwood and Borough Park, both Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have increased testing to control the spread.
The governor says a daily state record of 134,267 COVID-19 tests were reported in New York on Saturday.
The New York City Health Department tweeted a statement, saying: "We continue to track four concerning clusters of COVID-19 cases in Southern Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Central Queens and Far Rockaway. The seven-day average percent positivity is 5.72% for these areas, while the citywide average is 1.42%."
Clusters in the borough have led to two school closings -- at P.S. 118 in Sheepshead Bay and P.S. 112 in Bensonhurst. Both schools will be closed Monday due to the coronavirus, according to the Department of Education's COVID case map.
Sources tell News 12 that students and staff who were in close contact are being asked to quarantine for 14 days. This includes all students and staff in the classroom on Sept. 25.
The DOE told News 12 in part: "We won't hesitate to take quick action for our school communities. When alerted to a positive case, the Department of Health and Test and Trace Corps quickly conducted an investigation and advised close contacts to begin quarantine. We will continue to monitor the situation and will not compromise on safety."
Cuomo is reminding residents to stay vigilant by taking all necessary precautions including wearing a face covering and socially distancing. He also is telling local governments to enforce compliance.