Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will close schools at the end of Friday afternoon due to the coronavirus pandemic. For now, they will reopen April 14, he said.

If Onondaga County gets a COVID-19 case before then, then the schools will close Wednesday, McMahon said. All field trips, sporting events and any extracurricular activities are canceled as of now, McMahon said. Schools will be open until 4 p.m. Friday, McMahon said.

“I fully support this decision,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said. “This gives us time to plan and prepare.”

Soon after the announcement, three schools said they would close immediately: Fayetteville-Manlius, Jordan-Elbridge and Skaneateles.

McMahon also declared a state of emergency in Onondaga County. There are still no confirmed cases in Onondaga County. Twenty-six tests have come back as negative, McMahon said.

The decision to wait a week to close schools is to allow families and schools to prepare, McMahon said. Many students throughout the county only eat at schools and not at home, McMahon said. Plus, schools need to adjust to virtual learning. Parents need to adjust for daycare. “Many parents work at hospitals,” McMahon said. To have those healthcare workers at home could hamper the entire system, he said.

Parents can also keep their children home next week with no punishment about attendance. “This will be a legal reason for absence," East Syracuse-Minoa Superintendent Dr. Donna J. DeSiato said.

Many schools already have computer devices that students can take home, she said. Others may have materials that go home with children. There are also plans to provide delivery or grab-and-go meals for students who qualify for free and reduced meals.

“This is all uncharted territory,” she said. “It’s a very rapidly evolving situation," adding that by April 14 officials will have more data to be able to make better decisions.

DeSiato said educators at the 23 districts in Onondaga County will work with needs about how to balance this time with schooling, work and family responsibilities. “We will make it through this time,” she said. “We plan to make it through to graduation,” she said.

Walsh also called on residents to step up. “We all need to take care of each other here,” Walsh said, adding that people should take care of the vulnerable.

McMahon and Walsh met with superintendents today, he said. DiSiato said she learned of the decision only hours ago. She said she supports it.

“Every county is different,” McMahon said, noting there’s not a case within 60 miles of Onondaga County. This plan, he said, gives families, schools and especially parents who are healthcare workers the chance to prepare for having kids at home for at least two weeks.

The county executive also called on all county residents to help each other and limit shopping. “When you do that, you create anxiety with your neighbors,” he said.

The declaration of emergency allows county officials to buy more equipment and award contracts faster and easier, McMahon said. He said he might also make specific “social distancing” decisions going forward. For now, he said the county will follow the state’s orders to limit gatherings of more than 500. “This is all evolving,” he said.

Cayuga County and Monroe County announced today they would close schools starting Monday.

This is a breaking story. It will be updated.

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