Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoReuters

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Saturday announced that the city's schools will remain closed for the duration of the current school year, reopening only in September.

However, hours later, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said de Blasio does not have the authority to make such a decision.

"He didn't close them, and he can't reopen," Cuomo said, noting that de Blasio's statement is essentially a statement of his "opinion" on the issue. "It is my legal authority in this situation."

Cuomo also said that the issue will not be decided in the next few days, but that he plans to coordinate such a decision with other cities, and possibly with neighboring states.

"I can’t tell you what June is going to look like. I can’t tell you what May is going to look like," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, de Blasio had said that closing schools was "not an easy decision, but it's the right decision," adding that "it clearly will help us save lives."

De Blasio also said that the city will provide internet-enabled devices to 240,000 students to allow them to participate in distance learning.

New York City has 1,800 schools serving 1.1 million students.