Vice President Mike Pence said the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will issue new guidance for the fall’s reopening of schools.
The vice president, speaking after a meeting Wednesday of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the Education Department, called it “absolutely essential” for students to return to the classroom for in-person learning.
School districts across the country are struggling with how to safely reopen as the coronavirus continues to surge in some states.
»COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS
Pence announced plans for new CDC guidelines shortly after President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize the public health agency for asking schools “to do very impractical things.”
Trump also is threatening to withhold funding if schools don't reopen.
Pence pointed to a slowing coronavirus death rate nationally and early indications of positive tests flattening in Arizona, Florida and Texas. Those three states in recent weeks have seen some of the biggest spikes in coronavirus infections.
The U.S. now has more than 3 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
At a White House event Tuesday, health and education officials argued that keeping students out of school for the fall semester would pose greater health risks than any tied to the coronavirus.
Among those pushing for a fall reopening was the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Trump on Wednesday said the agency’s school opening guidelines are “very tough & expensive.”
About the Author
