Newark Mayor Ras Baraka today made a statement regarding the closing of public schools in his city.

“While the Newark Public Schools are taking precautions in regard to the spread of the Coronavirus by closing schools for the next couple of weeks, we strongly expect for our children to be supervised and indoors, focusing on their school work during this time. This is not an impromptu vacation. This is an opportunity for our city to take an international health emergency seriously and to help protect our city. To date, Newark has no confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, meanwhile, the nation currently has more than 2,100 cases and that number is rapidly increasing.

“Let’s take this time for our children to complete the work packets given by the schools, keep our community safe, and if anyone in your home feels sick then either stay in the house, or seek medical attention by a healthcare provider. Everyone needs to continue practicing safe measures like washing hands for at least 20 seconds and coughing into your sleeve or elbow if you have a cough. We hope that this will resolve quickly, but in the meantime, we have to do what we can to safeguard our community.

“For general questions about Coronavirus (COVID-19), please contact 1-800-222-1222.”

According to NJ.com:

All Newark public schools will close until the end of March, joining a growing list of districts across New Jersey that have shut down over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

In a brief statement Friday, Newark’s school district said all schools and the central office will be closed until March 30.

“All before school, after school, evening, weekend activities, and extended classroom experiences are cancelled. Essential Staff required to report will be notified accordingly,” the district’s message said.

The closures came after all 75 districts in Bergen County shut down this week along with similar closures in Hunterdon and Burlington counties, and religious schools.