NYC MAYOR: ‘WE’RE GOING TO KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN’

New York City’s newly minted mayor Eric Adams (D) is seeking to reassure parents that their children will be safe as students return to school in the largest public district amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

“We are going to be safe and we will be open to educate our children,” Adams said at a Monday morning press conference.

“We’re going to pivot. We’re going to shift. We’re going to adjust. We’re going to get it done. That’s the bottom line. We’re going to keep schools open,” he added.

David Banks, the city’s schools chancellor, said the schools are ready with substitute teachers and administrative staff in case teachers are unable to come to work because of COVID-19.

Adams told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday that with vaccinations and masking together “it’s safe enough to get those kids back to school, balanced against the deleterious effects of keeping them out.”

COVID-19 still looms: But while schools were out for the holiday break, COVID-19 cases in New York City more than doubled, according to The Associated Press.