NYC ditches two-case school closure rule

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

By David Brand

New York City is scrapping a much-maligned “two-case” school closure rule that lacked scientific grounding and left public school families in a perpetual state of limbo. 

Under the two-case rule, the Department of Education shut down in-person classes for 24 hours if two COVID-19 cases in two different classes were detected. The school would remain closed for 10 days if the city could not determine a link between the two cases. 

Scientists said the policy made little sense because it shut down schools without evidence of in-school transmission.

“We looked at the science and we have come to the conclusion it's time for a change,” de Blasio said Monday. “For this reason, we will be replacing the two-case rule. And in the coming days, we will be announcing a replacement rule.”

De Blasio said the city has yet to determine what the new closure protocols will be. 

The two-case rule was initially included in the early days of the ambitious restart plan and persisted as policy despite criticism from families — who despised the uncertainty around abrupt school closures — and the scientists, who said the rule defied public health logic.

A report published last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found low rates of COVID-19 transmission inside schools