Trump pushes to reopen school despite severe COVID-19 situation

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |    U.S. President Donald Trump has again pushed for schools to reopen despite the severe COVID-19 pandemic across the country, according to The Guardian newspaper.

“We got to open up our schools and open our businesses,” Trump said on Wednesday. “Children often have only mild symptoms, and medical complications are incredibly rare,” the newspaper quoted the president as saying.

The United States on Wednesday reported 1,499 COVID-19 death, the highest number in a single day for three months. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in the country has topped 5.3 million, which accounts for a quarter of global cases.

The parlous situation, however, has not stopped Trump from pushing for the reopening of schools and businesses, with the president warning that children would suffer if they do not resume in-person classes, according to The Guardian.

Trump and his administration has been pressuring schools to reopen in fall, threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply. Reopening schools is seen a crucial step to restarting the country’s economy for his reelection campaign.

However, few Americans want to see their local schools re-open for in-person instruction as usual or even with minor adjustments considering the severe COVID-19 situation, said a new poll released on July 22.

Hasty school resumption has already caused COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. Louisiana has been tracking seven COVID-19 outbreaks tied to schools and colleges, with data showing that 151 cases are connected to those college outbreaks, and 17 cases are being attributed to outbreaks at primary and secondary schools, local TV station WBRZ2 reported on Wednesday. 

****

XINHUA