New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that elementary schools in the city will re-open on December 7th, this despite the fact that cases throughout the United Sates continue to surge.

De Blasio said Sunday that public schools will re-open in phases with students in grades 3-k, Pre-k and K-5th grade returning in-person learning on Dec. 7, followed by students with the most complex disabilities on Dec. 10, while middle and high schools will remain closed. The decision to re-open comes after New York City Public Schools ended in-person instruction earlier this month after the city reached a 3% COVID-19 testing positivity rate.

New York City added 2,294 cases bringing its seven-day positive test result average to 2.75% and 3.5% for Saturday. Overall the state of New York added 6,723 new cases bringing its total to 641,161, with a statewide positivity rate of 4.27%, and 55 new deaths, bringing its death toll to 26,690.