Any school that holds underground classes — such as the Brooklyn yeshiva that flouted social distancing mandates in the process — will be shut down, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed Tuesday.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable what the folks at this yeshiva did. Everyone had been warned,” de Blasio said on PIX 11.
The NYPD closed the Orthodox school in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Monday after cops caught 60 people inside Nitra Yeshiva. Residents told cops they saw children playing on the school’s roof without masks, NBC News reported.
“They immediately dispersed. They will not be coming back, I assure you, and if we have to shut down that building entirely, we will,” de Blasio said.
No summonses were issued or arrests made Monday.
“There’s been reports for weeks now of quote-unquote underground schools. If we find them, we’ll shut them down and they won’t come back,” de Blasio promised during a 1010 WINS interview Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in an NY1 interview Tuesday that police are “paying very close attention to that location today” and he thinks a summons “would be appropriate” if anyone returns.
“And I’ll take it a step further,” he added. “If the local commander had issued a summons yesterday, I think that would’ve been appropriate as well.”
“The most important thing was to correct the condition — I think that was taken care of,” the top cop explained. “We empower our local precinct commanders to make decisions based on the facts, and I think he accomplished what the mission was, to make sure that people are socially distanced.”
The NYPD has struggled to enforce social distancing guidelines in recent weeks, including large crowds at Orthodox funerals and other gatherings. Most Orthodox Jewish leaders, however, have vowed to adhere to the restrictions during the lockdown.
De Blasio has come under fire for failing to enforce social distancing rules in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, where he enjoys strong political support.
Over 80 percent of summonses issued to people for breaking social distancing protocols were given to blacks or Hispanics, according to NYPD data.
But de Blasio insisted Tuesday that the city’s enforcement measures are fair.
“It’s one standard for everybody,” de Blasio said on 1010 WINS.