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The city and state use different approaches for calculations. That has led to confusion and has a big impact on which restrictions are adopted.

The school system, the nation’s largest, has had strikingly few virus cases. Even so, the mayor may end in-person classes because the city’s overall rate is surging.

Parents, local officials and religious leaders bristled at the haphazard way the governor and mayor announced new restrictions, some of which contradicted each other.

“Today, unfortunately, is not a day for celebration,” the mayor said of rising virus rates. His plan would affect 20 neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.

The sustained low rate of infection has surprised local health officials. But a resurgence may be inevitable, despite the state’s and city’s best efforts.

The factors that made the city one of the hardest hit on the planet — its density, mass transit and tourism — complicate a return to normalcy.