All of lohud's coverage of coronavirus is being provided free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to lohud and The Journal News at offers.lohud.com.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the New Rochelle school district may have to close for weeks as coronavirus spreads through the community, but the city's schools superintendent said she doesn't know the state's plans and opposes an extended closure.

Cuomo said at a news conference in Albany that the district might close for an extended period at the recommendation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, appearing with Cuomo, said the state is working with the district to determine the timing and length of any closure.

Laura Feijoo, superintendent of the New Rochelle schools, then said at her own news conference that she is not in favor of an extended closure, and that she has not received any official word on what to expect. She said Cuomo's office promised to get back to her with clarification on a potential closure.

Kids will find ways to be together if they are out of school, Feijoo said, advocating against an extended closure.

"It's clean in school. We are sure that they're safe and taken care of," Feijoo said. "That's where we want our students."

E-learning in the district will be a challenge if schools are closed, district officials said. Closure would be a hardship for families, especially those whose children may rely on school meals to be fed.

"All of these arrangements, parents are going to have to make on the fly, and they may not be ready or equipped to do that," Board of Education President Amy Moselhi said. "Even the thought about how they would be fed over a period of time is a concern for us."

All non-essential school events are going to be postponed or canceled, Feijoo said.

The district's schools were open Monday and are open Tuesday.

"Unless we get a written confirmation from a governing body that has the authority to [close schools], we believe that having students in school is of paramount importance," Moselhi said. "Putting students at home puts 11,000 students, we consider, at risk."

CORONAVIRUS: New York has most cases in nation

SCHOOLS: Find out which districts, schools are closed

CORONAVIRUS:Town-by-town cancellations, closings

VIRUS IN SCHOOLS: What you need to know

Cuomo said that Zucker has talked to the CDC about closing the city's schools.

“On the New Rochelle schools, CDC is going to provide guidance," Cuomo said. "They have been advising Dr. Zucker and they are advising a number of weeks to keep the New Rochelle schools closed. How many weeks? We don’t know yet, but a number of weeks.”

Cuomo said the number of coronavirus cases statewide has increased to 142 as of today, including 98 in Westchester County and four in Rockland County. Those totals include 16 new cases in Westchester and two new ones in Rockland.

"New Rochelle is a significant hot spot," Cuomo said.

Coronavirus officially hit the area last week when a lawyer from New Rochelle was hospitalized and tested positive for the virus. Since then, many of the cases in the region have been linked to that man.

Students leaving New Rochelle High School on Monday had varying levels of enthusiasm about the possibility of a long closure.

“Not going to lie, I would be kind of disappointed because I like school,” freshman Ashley Mendez said. “A week might be fine ... but no more than that. I would literally play games and sleep. I wouldn’t really do much.”

“I would be happy at first, but if school were closed for a long time, I think ultimately spring break would be taken away,” senior Jonathan Gunthrope said.

Others thought closing school would be the right move.

“Obviously, the virus is going to spread. If school closes, then there’s a lower chance of it spreading to other students,” junior Jodi Yakubu said. “I think school should close for some time, until you have more things under control.”

Resident Marvin Fields said because he’s retired, he would be able to watch is grandson, a third-grader, if schools closed. Other parents might not be as fortunate, he noted.

“It’s going to be a rough road for people who can’t,” Fields said.

Resident Kesha Louidor, who has children in elementary school and middle school, said it would be a tough situation for many parents if the schools were closed. Louidor, who works at a local nursing home and has flexible hours, said she’d rather the district err on the side of safety if officials think closing is the best path forward.

When the first New Rochelle case came to light last week, Louidor said she wanted to keep her kids home, but is more at ease this week.

“It’s just going to spread no matter what,” Louidor said. “It’s very difficult to contain. Sometimes you can’t live in fear all the time.”

Resident Sarah Mwangi, who has a first-grader, said she doesn’t think schools should close unless there is a positive case of coronavirus. Closing schools would be “extremely disruptive” to parents who can’t take time off. Working at a nursery school, Mwangi said she would need to take off of work or find childcare.

She questioned if children in temporary daycare would be any safer than if they're in school.

“It would definitely have an impact on my life and my other mom friends’ lives,” Mwangi said.

Resident Maria Miranda, who has a grandson in third grade, said she doesn’t think the schools need to close, as flu is more problematic than the coronavirus.

“I don’t think the virus is as bad as everyone’s making it out to be,” Miranda said. “I don’t see any urgency to close (school) right now.”

Cuomo stressed that coronavirus is most dangerous for people who are older or have an underlying illness. He said visitors have been banned at nursing homes in New Rochelle to protect the most vulnerable population.

Other schools and districts have closed or canceled classes as more people test positive and become exposed to the virus.

Matt Spillane covers breaking news throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpillane. Check out our latest subscription offers here.