US Schools
CDC says US schools can safely reopen as White House mulls over plan
Washington/Sputnik: US schools can be reopened safely for in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in federal guidelines issued Friday that the White House declined to immediately endorse.
"Data suggest that it is possible for communities to bring down cases of COVID-19 while keeping schools open to in-person instruction," the CDC said. "Schools should be prioritized for reopening and remaining open for in-person instruction over nonessential businesses and activities."
The reopening of schools amid the protracted pandemic has been a hot-button issue in the United States, with both Democrats in power and their Republican rivals in Congress accusing each other of politicizing the matter.
Republicans have argued for months that all the 50 states in the country should reopen their schools as children were proven to be least vulnerable to the virus. Democrats, led by current president Joe Biden, say the risk is greater for teachers and others exposed to children who were potentially asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
The Biden administration said earlier on Friday that it had yet to review the CDC plan to ascertain its workability.
"We trust the scientists and we certainly trust the guidelines of the CDC. We've long said that but we haven't reviewed them yet," White House Press Secretary Jan Psaki said at her daily media briefing when asked about the matter. "So it's hard for me to do this (endorsement) in a piecemeal way. But we certainly believe they will be an important step to moving the process forward."
The CDC said as a broad guide, US elementary to high schools, popularly known as "K to 12" schools, should be safe to reopen.
The CDC noted that evidence showed coronavirus introduction and transmission risk among elementary school-aged children was lower than that of middle- and high school students.
"As a result, evidence suggests a need to adjust mitigation strategies based on higher susceptibility and infectiousness among teens compared to younger children," the CDC said.
Reopening should also be guided by information on school-specific factors such as mitigation strategies implemented, local needs, stakeholder input, the number of infections among students, teachers and staff, as well as school experience with safely reopening, the CDC added.
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