'This is not Chicago': NYC Mayor Eric Adams says schools will not close

Newly installed in office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared Friday that city schools won't be closing despite the Omicron surge currently plaguing the Big Apple.

"This is not Chicago. We are working with the UFT (the politically powerful teachers union)," Adams said, taking a dig at the Windy City, which has been plagued by resistance to in-class learning from its teachers union.

In recent days, Michael Mulgrew, the head of the United Federation of Teachers, has hinted that staff shortages caused by the Omicron surge could force remote learning in NYC public schools.

NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks, however, quashed the suggestion, saying that it would likely take months to establish an improved model for remote learning back in functional form.