Long Island's county executives believe school closures will be extended

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statewide closure of schools due to end next Tuesday, March 31, New Yorkers are anxiously waiting to hear if and when schools might reopen.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says a reopening may be later instead of sooner. Curran was the first Long Island official to order the closing of schools back on March 15. The following day, Cuomo signed an executive order directing all schools to close for two weeks.
Curran says she is waiting for guidance from the state on reopening because the state's order supersedes the county's.
"I believe it is unlikely schools will be reopen on April 1," says Curran. "Since the governor has predicted we will reach the apex of this crisis in two to three weeks and April 1 is only one week away."
Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone agrees that the deadline will likely be extended.
"I think at this point, given the fact we understand that the surge is happening over the next 14 to 21 days, where the cases have gone, the steady uptick in hospitalizations for COVID-19 patients ... the fact that deaths have risen and reported every single day now for eight straight days. All of those are indications that we are in the thick of this and that certainly wouldn't be a time where you wouldn't be reopening schools," says Bellone.
Bellone said the state is working on the issue right now and expects to get an update soon.
News 12 reached out to the governor's office, but did not hear back.
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