NYC Records Lowest COVID Test Positivity Rate Since March, De Blasio Aims to Reopen Schools

New York mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that the city has recorded its lowest positive testing rate for coronavirus since the pandemic began in March.

The most recent daily results for citywide coronavirus tests, August 17, revealed that 0.24 percent of new patients tested positive. As of the same date, the city recorded a 7-day average of 320 people testing positive, a rate that has held relatively steady since the beginning of the month.

“This is extraordinary,” de Blasio said of the daily positivity rate. “This should be...