⁍ All New York regions have met the reopening threshold that Cuomo set in July.

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⁍ The rate of COVID-19 tests that came back positive on Thursday was 1% statewide.

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⁍ Cuomo said school districts will have the flexibility to decide whether to invite students back to the classroom full-time or do partially remote learning.

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– “If you look at our infection rate, we are probably in the best situation in the country right now,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday, per Reuters. “If anybody can open schools, we can open schools.” Cuomo had set a threshold in July for all school districts in the state to open for the fall based on their low infection rates for coronavirus, or COVID-19. As of Thursday, 1% of COVID-19 tests across the state came back positive, per Reuters. “If you look at our infection rate, we are probably in the best situation in the country right now,” Cuomo said. “If anybody can open schools, we can open schools.” Cuomo said school districts will have the flexibility to decide whether to invite students back to the classroom full-time or do partially remote learning, saying there is no ‘one-size-fits-all.’ New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has set a stricter threshold of a 3% infection rate for schools in the largest school district in the country to open, and last month released a ‘blended’ reopening plan where students would spend two days at school and three learning at home, and then reverse the sequence in the following week. Cuomo said he wanted school districts to post reopening plans by the end of next week and explain how remote learning, COVID-19 testing, and tracing would work under their proposed plans. The Trump administration has adamantly pushed for schools to reopen for in-person learning in the fall, but coronavirus outbreaks around the country have thwarted efforts to do so safely.