WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Even as COVID-19 pandemic spreads out of control in the United States, the Trump administration is pressing with the demand to reopening country's school for Fall semester.
In conference calls and public events at the White House Tuesday, President Donald Trump led a campaign to press state authorities to resume classes in person four months after schools across the country shut down over coronavirus concerns.
Speaking at a forum at the White House, Trump said his administration wants to get the schools open 'quickly, beautifully, in the fall.'
Underestimating the risks in reopening schools for the younger generation, the President insisted that out of thousands of people, there was only one person under 18 years died in the state of New Jersey due to COVID-19.
Some leaders want the schools remain closed because they think it's going to be good for them politically, according to him.
'So we're very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools', Trump said, adding that it is very important for the country and for the wellbeing of the students and the parents.
Vice President Mike Pence claimed that in a conference call with the nation's governors, 49 of them announced plans to reopen schools across America.
He said concerns about children falling behind academically, and the fact that there's no substitute for in-classroom learning, was discussed in leangth at the virtual summit Tuesday.
He quoted Dr. McCance-Katz telling the governors that 7 million American children suffer from either mental illness or emotional disturbance, and they principally receive the care from health and mental services at their school.
Pence said next week, the CDC is going to issue five new documents: how to prepare communities to return safely, decision-making tools for parents and caregivers, symptom screening, cloth face-coverings in school settings, and guidance.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) President Dr. Sara Goza also spoke at the Forum.
The paediatrician, who earlier warned that kids could have suicidal ideations if schools don't reopen, said, 'The evidence we have so far indicates that children are less likely to have symptoms or severe disease resulting from coronavirus'. Children are less likely to become infected, and they are less likely to spread infection, she added.
Citing evidence, she said it really is time for the kids to get back to school.
For the week ending June 27, school-aged children accounted for only 1.3 percent of COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
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