NYC COVID-19 infection rate hits new high of 3.9 pct: mayor

NEW YORK - New York City's COVID-19 infection rate on 7-day average has reached a new height of 3.9 percent, compared with 3.64 percent reported one day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Sunday.

"We're going to continue to be guided by facts and data as we fight back against #COVID19 and reopen our city," added the mayor.

The rate topped 3 percent last week and has remained above the level ever since. Three percent is deemed by the municipal government as a threshold to a second wave of the pandemic.

Sunday morning, de Blasio announced that New York City's public elementary schools will reopen one week later as the city is striving to recover from the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

"Reopening our @NYCSchools buildings is paramount to recovering from #COVID19. Today we can announce that we plan to reopen buildings for: 3-K, Pre-K and grades K-5 on Monday, December 7; District 75 schools at all grade levels on Thursday, December 10," the mayor tweeted.

"Upon reopening, weekly #COVID19 testing will be in effect and testing consent forms will be required for our students to return," he said.

"Finally, as we reopen, wherever possible we will move to 5 day a week in-person learning. We want our kids in the classroom for as much time as possible. Our families do, too," he added.

As of Saturday afternoon, the coronavirus deaths added up to 24,260 and the confirmed cases to 307,181 in New York City, according to The City, a project that tracks the spread of confirmed COVID-19 infections and fatalities in New York City, based on information provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the governor's office, The COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.