Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.

The city shuttered a Bronx school building Thursday after a child there tested positive for coronavirus, the first public school student known to carry the potentially deadly bug, the mayor said.

“This morning, we are closing two co-located schools, the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology and South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School, due to a student’s self-confirmed positive case of COVID-19,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.

The schools serve grades 6 through 12.

His spokeswoman, Freddi Goldstein, clarified that the case is “self-confirmed” because the student’s parent said the child tested positive for the coronavirus, but the case hasn’t officially been entered in the state database. The city currently has 62 confirmed cases of the potentially deadly disease.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking action based on this parent’s credible report,” Goldstein said.

“The Health Department will trace close contacts of this individual to recommend quarantine and testing as necessary,” the mayor said in the statement.

“The Department of Education will completely disinfect the building, and it will be closed for an initial 24-hour period.

“We don’t make this decision lightly, and we know the disruption and anxiety this means for students, faculty and parents. We are taking every precaution to keep people safe, and we will keep everyone informed as we learn more through the day,” de Blasio said.

Related Video

Coronavirus in NY: City prepares historic measures as cases jump to 62

On CNN Thursday morning, de Blasio said he had no plans to close the city’s public school system.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy