Another day, another astonishing utterance from the Trump administration on the coronavirus.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany argued that science, in regards to COVID-19, should not “stand in the way” of the president’s desire for schools to re-open nationwide in the fall.
McEnany was asked what the president would say to parents who are concerned because some school districts have already announced online-only fall classes due to the extreme rise in virus cases in the U.S.
“The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open… And when he says open, he means open in full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school,” McEnany said, “The science should not stand in the way of this.”
McEnany went on to add that “the science is on our side here” while citing other nations sending kids back to school, but she failed to mention that, unlike in the U.S., many of those countries have seen a dramatic downward turn in cases.
The press secretary also painted a rosy picture of the effects of COVID-19 on children’s health while ignoring that children can spread the virus to older relatives, teachers, and other school employees.
McEnany: "The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open…When he says open, he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this." https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/sJEAJPg2Jy
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 16, 2020
And, according to a new report from Bloomberg, children and teens testing positive is on the rise. States like California and Mississippi are closing in on 10 percent of their overall cases being children.
Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health spoke to Bloomberg about the notion that children handle the virus relatively well if infected.
“Just because somebody doesn’t die from this doesn’t mean that something bad doesn’t happen to them. Think about cancer. A cancer could have a tumor developing over 10 to 20 years, and you don’t know,” Salemi said.
