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While most of the world has shifted to strictly online schooling, Trump is taking a different tune. On Monday, the President strongly urged governors to begin considering their process for reopening schools. In the face of the novel coronavirus, most American schools are shut down by governor decree. This was part of a sweeping effort to curtail the spread of the virus.
However, nearly two months after some of the earliest closures, some people are getting antsy with the situation. Some people in areas that have been less severely affected by the virus have grown sick of the lockdown orders. Less densely populated areas have had few cases, and some are feeling like the lockdowns are doing more harm than good. Trump has given voice to these concerns.
In a teleconference with US governors, Trump urged them to consider reopening schools. “Some of you might start thinking about school openings, because a lot of people are wanting to have school openings,” Trump told governors. “It’s not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we’ve all gone through.”
“So, a lot of people are thinking about the school openings,” the president continued. “And I think it’s something, Mike, they can seriously consider and maybe get going on it.” However, this late into the normal school year, it’s unlikely schools will be back in session until the fall. Presently, the future is highly uncertain, thanks to the virus.
COVID makes it very difficult to plan for the future at the moment. It’s unclear if the virus will remain a major threat to the population through the summer. Case numbers are levelling off in the US, and, in some areas, even declining. However, it’s unclear whether this is enough to begin rolling areas back to normal.
Some states, like Georgia and South Carolina, are already cautiously resuming normal activities. Neither state has yet shown a spike in COVID cases, sparking some optimism that the worst of the virus could be behind them. However, it’s still early to tell if their forays into normal activity were well-founded.
In the fall, schools may cautiously reopen. However, it will be on school administrators to keep children and their families safe. Options could include social distancing guidelines within schools. This could include masks, gloves and six foot distancing guidelines. Several top infectious diseases experts, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, have stated that they expect schools to be able to reopen by the fall.
