Thread by @elizashapiro

NEW: As pressure mounts for NYC school closures, experts say:
-Closure will NOT be as effective if 1.1m kids aren't also mostly self-isolating. Closure will = broader shutdown
-Schools would have to close for extent of virus to be most effective
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

“The public health benefits of closing schools to try to mitigate the impacts of this virus are not clear by any means. This is largely an experiment.”
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

Local politicians are coalescing around idea that parents who can keep their kids home should, but that some schools remain open for most vulnerable kids and as social service centers for communities.
But there is no simple route here:
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

Experts have said 1-day, 2 week closures can seem arbitrary and say schools would likely need to be closed for the full length of the virus, which could be many months.
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

There is a lot of anxiety in city schools right now. Attendance has dipped in last few days, but I'm hearing reports today that large numbers of teachers and students are not coming to school.

Latest version of our story:
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

It's important for people who don't spend time in low-income public schools to understand why this decision is so complex.
"There’s no ideal solution, we are comparing one bad thing with one potentially extraordinarily bad thing."
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…

There are dissenting views among public health experts about whether to close schools.
But this, from a virologist I spoke with yesterday, is sobering: “The bottom line is that the potential consequences of not closing schools are really too horrible."
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyr…