NEW YORK - Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed Sunday shutting down schools and nonessential businesses in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens starting Wednesday due to a surge in coronavirus cases. 

The move requires state approval.

"The plan is to rewind in these nine zip codes," de Blasio said. "We need to address the problem with the tools that we know work."

These are the neighborhoods that are being targeted with a shutdown after seeing a positivity rate of higher than three percent for the last seven days:

  • Far Rockaway/ Edgemere
  • Borough Park
  • Gravesend/Homecrest
  • Midwood
  • Bensonhurst/Mapelton
  • Flatlands/Midwood
  • Gerritsen Beach/Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay
  • Kew Gardens
  • Kew Gardens Hills

The mayor said the shutdown could last at least two weeks. Restaurants in those areas would be restricted to takeout and delivery, and about 100 public schools and roughly 200 non-public schools would be forced to switch entirely to remote learning. Previously, de Blasio had said there would not be targeted closures of public school buildings.

"This is the right decision, one that helps protect our schools, our neighborhoods, and ultimately our city," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers.

The mayor is also proposing to shut down gyms, pools and indoor dining, which just resumed last week, in 11 additional zip codes that are also seeing a rise in coronavirus cases but have not yet hit the three percent threshold. 

These are the neighborhoods that are being closely monitored: 

  • Bedford-Stuyvesant (West)/Clinton Hill/ Fort Greene 
  • East Williamsburg/Williamsburg 
  • Brighton Beach/Manhattan Beach/ Sheepshead Bay 
  • Bergen Beach/Flatlands/Marine Park/Mill Basin
  • Crown Heights (East)
  • Kensington/Windsor Terrace
  • Rego Park
  • Fresh Meadows/Hillcrest 
  • Auburndale/Fresh Meadows/Pomonok/Utopia Hillcrest/Jamaica Estates/Jamaica Hills

The move marks a major reversal for the city, which had been opening up amid a low coronavirus positivity rate. 

“If we contain this situation in the nine key zip codes and the 11 on the watch list we can stop this from spreading more deeply into New York City. We can stop this from being a quote, unquote second wave,” said de Blasio. “But in these communities it is a very troublesome reality that must be addressed very aggressively.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not yet responded to the request, though he did announce Sunday that the state would begin stepping up social distancing enforcement in the 20 zip codes statewide experiencing a surge in cases. Businesses found to be in violation would face fines. In a statement, the governor also criticized school testing protocols. 

"I'm concerned about the lack of testing in the schools," Cuomo said in a statement. "If the localities do not do testing immediately in the schools in those areas, the State will close them immediately. We all want schools to reopen IF they can reopen safely."

De Blasio is asking residents living in the affected neighborhoods to wear face coverings, and to practice social distancing and frequent hand washing. He added that the city would monitor surrounding areas to make sure the virus isn’t spreading should people choose to venture to open businesses outside of their community.

Many of the neighborhoods in question have large ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations. Just last week, Cuomo met with community leaders there to discuss ways to get the uptick under control. 

The mayor said under his proposal houses of worship would remain open due to a court order, though his spokesperson said group services wouldn't be allowed. 

This is the first time since the pandemic started that the mayor is proposing restrictions be enforced in specific neighborhoods rather than the entire city.

In the past, Staten Island and other areas with lower infection rates rallied to reopen earlier, but those neighborhoods were told by both the governor and mayor that a reopening date and plan would be determined by the city's overall infection rate.

“In the spring the situation was consistent across the whole city. We saw obviously some real disparities in terms of impact, but the coronavirus was affecting every single part of the city intensely,” de Blasio said. “We did not anticipate a situation where it would be so narrow in the scheme of things.”

The City’s plan would give businesses and schools, many of which just opened days ago, three days to transition under these potential guidelines.