Coronavirus closures: 3 Jewish schools in New York cancel classes

Several Jewish day schools in the New York area announced closures to thwart potential spread of the coronavirus.

By World Israel News Staff

On Tuesday, SAR Academy in the Bronx became the first of three schools in New York to announce class cancellations in light of the coronavirus threat. SAR Academy called the closure “precautionary measures” in light of a “suspected” case of coronavirus among a community member, Reuters reported.

According to a website called Yeshiva World News (YWN), the case involves a parent of an SAR student.

The other two New York area schools that announced closures were Westchester Day School and Westchester Torah Academy, which are located in suburban New York.

YWN reported that the two Westchester institutions announced the cancellations after students were already on their way to school, with buses turning around and bringing children home. Westchester Day School’s executive director, Rachel Goldman, commented to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the school does not currently have any suspected cases.

In addition to affecting schools, the virus has crippled businesses, industry, and travel around the globe.

Factories are slashing output and popular vacation destinies have been nearly emptied.

Google advised its 8,000 full-time employees and contractors in Dublin to work remotely on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, with Irish news reports indicating that a Google staffer required coronavirus testing.

Whether or not the New York Jewish schools that closed on Tuesday would remain shuttered the rest of the week remained unknown at press time.

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