New York City schools to shut down amid rise in coronavirus cases 

New York City public schools will close starting Thursday amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced.

The move is a setback for the city, which still has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country. Officials have worried about a new wave of cases as the number of infections tick upwards in New York and across the country.

“We must fight back the second wave of COVID-19,” de Blasio tweeted Wednesday when announcing the closure, which will affect all public school buildings.

Officials had previously said schools would close again if the percentage of tests coming back positive in New York City reached 3 percent.

Why it matters: Many public health experts were critical of the move, noting that bars and restaurants remain open in NYC but are a greater contributor to the spread of COVID than schools.