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NEW YORK CITY — New York City’s plan to reopen schools is the strongest in the nation and ranks among the top globally, the mayor and schools chancellor said Monday.

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New York City officials released these comparisons for school reopening plans (Image: Mayor’s office).

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza said Monday the city’s scorecard ranks their plan as the strongest nationally, with its “blended learning model, socially distanced classrooms, mandatory masks, widely available testing, and contact tracing program.”

The mayor doubled down, saying not only are city schools the safest, but the city itself is, too.

“With our record-low infection rate, New York City is the safest major city in America,” said de Blasio. “We’ve looked at what’s worked across the globe to create a plan for reopening schools that’s the absolute gold standard. My message to parents and our school communities cannot be clearer: we are taking every possible precaution to bring our kids back safely.”

Carranza said the city won’t put students and staff at risk in order to open schools.

“In a constantly changing public health landscape, one thing has always been clear: we’ll take every precaution to keep our schools safe,” said Carranza. “We’re going above and beyond measures taken by the rest of the country in order to provide in-person instruction this fall, and we won’t compromise health and safety at any point.”