Anonymous White House Officials Told the Daily Beast That Coronavirus Outbreaks Were “Inevitably Going to Happen When We Send Kids Back to School.”
Cases and Hospitalizations Are Rising Among Children as Schools Experience Outbreaks
Cases Among Children Spiked 90% in Just One Month
Cases Surged 150% Among Children in California, 137% Among Children in Florida
As more and more evidence arises that reopening schools before getting the virus under control is dangerous both for children and their families, Trump administration aides are breaking with the President and saying the quiet part out loud: school reopenings will “inevitably” lead to outbreaks.
And the evidence is already bearing that out. In the few weeks since schools — especially in the south — have begun to reopen, students and staff are contracting the virus and returning to quarantine. But President Trump doesn’t seem to care.
Despite that the United States continues to have the worst outbreak in the world, that more than 160,000 people have died, and that experts and data suggest that the dangers remain both real and ubiquitous — President Trump is charging ahead with reopening America’s schools, at a rising cost for children who are forced to suffer the consequences.
Anonymous Trump Administration Officials Warn That Coronavirus Outbreaks in Schools Are Inevitable as the White House Plays Politics With Children’s Lives
Anonymous White House Officials Told The Daily Beast That Coronavirus Outbreaks Were “Inevitably Going To Happen When We Send Kids Back To School.”
- “Officials said they are particularly worried about an uptick in cases in schools that have not yet developed concrete plans to implement proper social distancing, including grouping students in cohorts to better track potential outbreaks. Those fears were exacerbated Sunday with the news of nine positive cases emerging at a school in Georgia where days earlier pictures of crowded hallways circulated on social media. ‘This is exactly what I was afraid of,’ another senior official said, referring to the positive cases emerging in the Georgia school. ‘This is inevitably going to happen when we send kids back to school. But the real question is whether school districts are prepared for this and whether they will take it seriously.’” [Daily Beast, 8/11/20]
Anonymous White House Officials Worried That Schools Would Not Implement Safety Measures Because Trump Downplayed The Threat Of The Virus And Created A False Sense Of Security.
- “‘If you have Trump going out there and saying everything is fine there’s a risk that that’s what people are going to think going back,’ one senior official said. ‘There’s a real possibility that counties won’t implement all the measures outlined in the CDC guidelines and will just say, ‘Look, we’re doing the best we can and that’s it.’ There’s no one to enforce that stuff.’” [Daily Beast, 8/11/20]
But Even As Officials Raise Flags About The Health Risks Associated With Reopening, Those Closest To The President Are Pushing Back.
- “Senior officials working on the government’s efforts to try to contain the virus say they are increasingly worried state officials, particularly those in the southern portion of the country, are not seriously considering the health risks associated with reopening. Officials said they have in recent days raised the issue directly with White House officials, requesting the administration ramp up the messaging about the potential risks, particularly for those counties experiencing a case positivity rate of 5 percent or more… So far those officials close to the president have pushed back on the idea of spending time on warnings; some instead suggested dedicating additional air time to underscoring the president’s leadership on the government’s virus response.” [Daily Beast, 8/11/20]
And Unsurprisingly — We’re Already Seeing Outbreaks at Schools
At Cherokee County School In Georgia, 826 Students And 42 Teachers Were Forced To Quarantine 6 Days Into The School Year After Being Exposed To Coronavirus.
- “In the six days that Cherokee County schools have been in session, the north Georgia district has had to direct 826 students to quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19, along with 42 teachers. In following health guidelines, districts inform parents when a student has has close contract with — including sitting nearby — someone who tests positive for COVID-19 and advises 14 day quarantines at home. Most of the exposures to students have come from classmates, although a few cases involve teachers and staff who tested positive.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/11/20]
Cherokee County Schools In Georgia Opened Without Mandating That Students Wear Masks.
- “Cherokee is among the districts that opened without a mask mandate for students; staff must wear masks. The district serves more than 42,000 students and offered them both in-person and virtual instructional models. A quarter of students opted for digital learning because of the pandemic.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/11/20]
Just Days After Vice President Mike Pence Visited A Thales Academy Location In North Carolina And Praised Its Reopening Plan, An Entire Fourth Grade Class Was Forced To Quarantine Due To Exposure To The Virus.
- “Thales Academy in North Carolina announced last week an entire fourth-grade class would need to quarantine for two weeks because a student tested positive days after Vice President Mike Pence visited one of its locations and praised its reopening plan.” [ABC 6, 8/10/20]
At Least Three Tennessee School Districts Have Shuttered As A Result Of Confirmed Cases Since Reopening.
- “Nearly 65 school districts have started the school year as of Friday, Aug. 7 — the majority of them in-person — and at least 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases connected to schools have already been reported. Three school districts, including Williamson County Schools, Coffee County Schools and Blount County Schools, have already closed schools or altered their schedules as a result of exposures to the virus.” [Tennessean, 8/5/20]
Thirty-Four COVID-19 Cases Have Been Reported Across Twenty-Two Mississippi Schools Since Reopening.
- “Mississippi schools are reopening and with that comes new COVID-19 cases. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Monday that 22 different schools have reported coronavirus cases so far. Dobbs said there have been 34 COVID-19 cases reported in schools. Nineteen of the cases were among students and 15 were employees, Dobbs said.” [WAPT, 8/10/20]
Five Students From An Alabama School District Were Sent Home To Quarantine After Exposure To The Virus On Their Very First Day Of Class.
- “Five students in a south Alabama high school are now in quarantine after coming in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first day of school on Thursday.” [Alabama Local News, 8/7/20]
As Cases Rise Among Children Nationwide
Between July 9 And August 6, Coronavirus Cases Among Children Increased 90 Percent In The United States.
- “As decision-makers weigh whether to reopen U.S. schools this fall, they face a daunting reality: COVID-19 appears to have surged among American kids this summer. On July 9, there were approximately 200,000 confirmed cases in children; by Aug. 6, that number rose by nearly 180,000, an approximately 90% increase in just over four weeks, according to a new report. That translates to an increase from 319 per 100,000 American children to 501 cases per 100,000, in just four weeks.” [Time, 8/11/20]
The Total Number Of Cases Among Children Seventeen And Under Rose By 137 Percent In Florida Over The Course Of One Month.
- “In Florida, the total number of cases in children 17 and under rose from 16,797 on July 9 to 39,735 on August 9 — an increase of 137%, according to Florida Department of Health data.” [CNN, 8/11/20]
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Children In Florida Rose By 105 Percent In Just One Month.
- “Covid-19 hospitalizations among children in Florida rose from 213 to 436 during that same period, a 105% increase. Deaths among children rose from four to seven in Florida during that period.” [CNN, 8/11/20]
COVID-19 Cases Among Children And Teens Rose By 150 Percent In California Last Month — A Rate That Outpaces Case Growth For The State As A Whole.
- “Coronavirus cases among children and teenagers are surging in California, up 150% last month, a rate that outpaces COVID-19 cases overall and establishes minors as a small but growing share of the state’s COVID-19 cases.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/10/20]