Given what we know about the coronavirus now, reopening schools in the fall should be something of a no brainer. As of July 1st, of 112,226 confirmed coronavirus deaths, only 171 people age 24 or younger had died from it, or 0.15% of the total. More people over the age of 100 have died from the coronavirus than 24 and under in the U.S.
Dr. Fauci warmed to the idea too earlier this month, saying that the idea of keeping schools closed in the fall over safety confirms is “a bit of a reach.” Those comments came days after Rand Paul made the case for reopening in a hearing with Fauci, where Paul pointed out that 22 European countries had reopened schools without any spike in cases. “Contact tracing studies in China, Iceland, Britain, and the Netherlands failed to find a single case of child-to-adult infection.” he elaborated.
President Trump has since said he’d put pressure on Governors to reopen schools, and then threatened to cut funding to schools that don’t. Trump also criticized the CDC on Wednesday in his calls to re open schools, calling their reopening guidelines “tough and expensive.” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said that he would not be altering the CDC’s reopening guidelines in response to Trump’s comments – but did echo the calls to reopen schools.
As Just the News reports:
Director Redfield on Thursday said he believes shuttered schools present a greater public health issue than reopening schools.
“I’m of the point of view as a public health leader in this nation, that having the schools actually closed is a greater public health threat to the children than having the schools reopen. I think really people underestimate the public health consequences of having the schools closed on the kids.I’m confident we can open these schools safely, work in partnership with the local jurisdictions.”
“I don’t think we should go overboard in trying to develop a system that doesn’t recognize the reality that this virus really is relatively benign to those of us that are under the age of 20,” Redfield said.
Redfield did stress that there would be a need to protest children with underlying conditions and teachers, and that the CDC is “prepared to work with each school or each school district.”
