The Center For Disease Control (CDC) posted guidelines that educational facilities ought to follow to minimize the risk of furthering the COVID-19 or other diseases which caused President Trump to tweet “While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!”.
I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020
CDC Claims it Wasn’t About the Children
The CDC claimed that it wasn’t ever their decision to close schools, but rather local jurisdictions. Dr. Robert Redfield [1], director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said he was concerned his agency’s initial advice was being used “as a rationale” to keep schools closed. “These decisions about schools are local decisions.” Redfield continued, “We really don’t have evidence that children are driving the transmission cycle of this [2].”
An idea was floated [3] that the concern for closing schools was not for students themselves. Instead, if the student did contract the virus, they would take it home to someone at risk.
Concern for the high-risk population was thought a good enough reason to close schools when America didn’t know much about COVID-19, however, Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky- a doctor himself- argues that “young children rarely spread the virus”. [4] This is true “around the world.” He continued, “No spike when schools are opened. Central planners have enough knowledge somehow to tell a nation of some 330 million people what they can and can’t do,”
So who is at risk? Low-risk people are virtual employees in classes and events. Compare that to high-risk individuals- those who are not spaced apart or who share supplies.
What Are The Rules Guidelines?
The CDC has a long list of guidelines to stop the spread of the disease. The list in entirety is found here. Some of the more obvious items to note are 6-foot desk spacing, no playgrounds, everyone wears masks all day. Arrows on the ground directing students are encouraged along with increased cleaning procedures. Stagger school start times and lunchtimes so not too many students are together. Virtual field trips would be preferred as well as plastic barriers between bathroom sinks.
These guidelines and more are what we take into consideration as parents begin thinking about a new school year. Flexibility and preparedness on the parent’s part to jump in at a moments notice to continue the child’s education in case the schools do shut down again.
Vice President Pence Says CDC to Issue New Set of Guidelines
Vice President Pence on Wednesday said, “The president said today we just don’t want the guidance to be too tough,” Pence further stated, “And that’s the reason next week the CDC is going to be issuing a new set of tools [5].”
Notes:
- ^Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2020, July 09). Robert R. Redfield – Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_R._Redfield&oldid=966820749 (go back ↩)
- ^CDC feels pressure from Trump as rift grows over coronavirus response. (2020, July 10). Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cdc-feels-pressure-from-trump-as-rift-grows-over-coronavirus-response/ar-BB16ycOj?ref=hvper.com (go back ↩)
- ^Jagannathan, M. (2020). ‘The stakes of doing it wrong is that someone dies’: How coronavirus will transform K-12 schools in the fall. MarketWatch. Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-stakes-of-doing-it-wrong-is-that-someone-dies-how-coronavirus-will-transform-k-12-schools-in-the-fall-2020-05-19 (go back ↩)
- ^Fredericks, B. (2020). Rand Paul rips Fauci’s coronavirus response, says schools should be reopened. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/06/30/rand-paul-rips-anthony-fauci-says-schools-should-be-reopened (go back ↩)
- ^Sun, L. H., & Dawsey, J. (2020). CDC feels pressure from Trump as rift grows over coronavirus response. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-sidelines-public-health-advisers-in-growing-rift-over-coronavirus-response/2020/07/09/ad803218-c12a-11ea-9fdd-b7ac6b051dc8_story.html (go back ↩)
