Four more New York City public schools and one private school have been ordered closed as new cases of students or faculty falling ill with flu-like symptoms continue to grow.

Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden announced Monday afternoon that the Q209 building in Whitestone, which houses PS 209 and P9, along with PS 19 in Corona and PS 32 in Flushing will be closed for up to five days beginning Tuesday.

Officials at the private St. David’s School on the Upper East Side chose to close on Monday morning, but not at the city’s recommendation.

According to the Health Department, 24 students reported having flu-like symptoms between the two schools in recent days at Q209. At PS 19, which enrolls nearly 2,000 students, 50 students have reported falling ill in the last six days, while 30 students have shown the symptoms at PS 32.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the health commissioner told New Yorkers not to be surprised if more closures will follow.

“We can’t stop the virus. Our goal is to minimize it,” said Bloomberg at his Monday morning news conference. “It’s possible there will be more closings this week.”

New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines said Monday that the number of confirmed cases include eight in New York City, where the number stands at 186. The total of new cases outside the city rose to 73, with five in Nassau County and one each in Westchester and Suffolk counties.

Late last week the city closed ten schools in Queens (IS 238, PS 16, IS 5, JHS 74, PS 107, MS 158, Our Lady of Lourdes, I.S. 25, World Journalism Preparatory and Q233) and one in Brooklyn (IS 318) after documenting confirmed cases of H1N1 at IS 238Q, and unusually high levels of flu-like symptoms in the other schools. The Health Department continues to work with the Department of Education to assess the situation daily and make decisions regarding school closures on a case by case basis.

The closing of 15 schools in New York City means more than 10,000 children will miss class this week. It’s real struggle for many parents who are now struggling to find childcare.

(Source: WCBSTV)