Trump Officials Focused On How, and Not Whether, Schools Reopen; Fauci Praises Trump's Briefings, and Other C-Virus Updates

AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File

CDC guidance says the balance of risk favors return to classroom

The Trump administration on Friday said reopening schools is not a matter of “if” it happens but “how it must be done” this fall, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rolled out new guidelines that support President Trump’s push to resume classroom learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The default needs to be that schools are fully open and operational in the fall,” said Mitchell Zais, a deputy to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Mr. Trump blasted earlier CDC guidelines as “very tough” and cumbersome for schools, so the CDC supplemented them with new resource documents.

In an opening statement, the CDC highlighted the downsides of keeping kids out of the classroom.

“Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school in the wake of COVID-19. The best available evidence indicates if children become infected, they are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms,” it says. “Death rates among school-aged children are much lower than among adults. At the same time, the harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant.”

LINK: Dr. Fauci praises Trump for ‘short and crisp’ 
COVID-19 briefings

The CDC says many kids also rely on schools for their meals, mental-health care and other services.

The documents touch on proper ventilation and how to space students out to maintain social distancing. It encourages hand-washing and says face masks should be worn “as feasible, and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult.”

Schools should disinfect frequently touched surfaces and post signs that remind students and staff of social distancing rules. Any students or teachers who appear sick, or may have come in contact with someone infected by the coronavirus, should remain home.

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Dr. Fauci praises Trump for ‘short and crisp’ COVID-19 briefings

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