New CDC guidelines favor reopening schools. Here’s what you need to know
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Thursday favoring reopening schools. President Trump has pushed heavily for reopening schools, but acknowledged on Thursday that some may need to delay reopening.
“It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall,” CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said in a statement. “School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth. CDC is prepared to work with K-12 schools to safely reopen while protecting the most vulnerable.”
The new guidelines said children are less likely to be impacted by severe symptoms of COVID-19 than adults.
“Children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults. To put this in perspective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of July 17, 2020, the United States reported that children and adolescents under 18 years old account for under 7 percent of COVID-19 cases and less than 0.1 percent of COVID-19-related deaths,” the guidelines state.
“Scientific studies suggest that COVID-19 transmission among children in schools may be low. International studies that have assessed how readily COVID-19 spreads in schools also reveal low rates of transmission when community transmission is low” it said.
The guidelines said children aren’t the biggest driving force of transmitting the virus in families. “This is consistent with data from both virus and antibody testing, suggesting that children are not the primary drivers of COVID-19 spread in schools or in the community,” the statement reads.
The guidance said children get mental health services, food, physical exercise, speech therapy, safety from dangerous neighborhoods and homes, and other services from school.
“Extended school closure is harmful to children. It can lead to severe learning loss, and the need for in-person instruction is particularly important for students with heightened behavioral needs,” the statement reads.
The guidelines also account for communities that have “uncontrolled transmission.”
“If there is substantial, uncontrolled transmission, schools should work closely with local health officials to make decisions on whether to maintain school operations,” the guidance reads. “The health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers, staff and their families is the most important consideration in determining whether school closure is a necessary step.”
The guidelines offer several ways to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, including keeping kids in pods, using social distancing, face masks, and frequent hand washing, as well as incorporating these measures in the curriculum.
Trump said during a news conference on Thursday that schools in hot spots “may need to delay reopening for a few weeks,” The Associated Press reported.
Trump said that the decision for reopening schools would be up to governors and that schools should be “actively making preparations to open,” according to the publication.
Trump previously threatened to cut funding if schools don’t reopen this fall, The New York Times reported. He also slammed the CDC for its “very tough & expensive guidelines” that tell schools to “to do very impractical things.”
Earlier in July, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that public schools won’t fully reopen this fall, reducing attendance to two to three days a week, The New York Times reported. New York City comprises the largest district in the country.
Florida, the coronavirus hot spot in the U.S., has required schools to reopen in August, The Miami Herald reported.
Florida’s Commissioner of the Department of Education Richard Corcoran issued an order on July 6 mandating “brick and mortar schools” to reopen for at least five days a week, according to the publication.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emphasized school choice amid the criticism from teachers, school districts, and parents against the reopening of schools, The Miami Herald reported.
“Fear doesn’t help us combat the virus,” DeSantis said. “The stress and apprehension it fosters just makes our health situation worse and knocks society on its heels.”
More than 4 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed and more than 144,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S. as of July 24, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 7:36 AM with the headline "New CDC guidelines favor reopening schools. Here’s what you need to know."