The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidelines for opening schools that supported physical assistance, aligning the agency more closely with President Donald Trump’s views on the matter, even when the economy The world’s largest struggles to contain the growing cases of COVID-19.
Concerns about the reopening are widespread. Schools have become a central focus as fall approaches, with districts across the country struggling to find and fund appropriate plans. However, no consensus was reached, and Trump himself softened his position Thursday by saying that the hot zones should delay plans to reopen.
“This guide is intended to help school administrators consider how to protect the health, safety, and welfare of students, teachers, other school personnel, their families, and communities and prepare to educate students this fall,” wrote the agency, highlighting a long list of mitigation strategies to prevent further dissemination.
The CDC’s recommendations come as the nation remains deeply divided on how to safely reopen schools and in the wake of the president’s criticism of the agency’s previous guidance. Polls show that many parents remain nervous about sending their children back to school, although many criticize the remote learning process and at least one panel of experts has urged a full reopening.
With the academic year less than 2 months away, confirmed numbers of infections in the US continue to rise, once again exceeding 70,000 per day amid a global count of nearly 16 million. This week, the United States topped 4 million cases total, led by sudden increases in the solar belt.
Among the largest states, California and Florida remain a concern. The sunshine state recorded more than 12,000 cases with a positivity rate of over 16%, while hospitalizations hit a new record on Friday. Deaths in Florida are starting to rise again after a brief pause, following the trend of delaying an increase in cases by a few weeks.
The relentless spread has forced the president to publicly acknowledge certain realities associated with social estrangement, prompting him this week to endorse the covers in public. On Thursday, Trump also announced that the Republican Party was moving the Republican National Convention from Jacksonville, Florida, to North Carolina, as well as switching to more virtual segments for the convention, something that some observers said was ironic given its position. about opening schools.
In his briefing, Trump called for the reopening of the economy, but also said that a full naming convention “was not the right time.” I have to protect the American people. “
Medicine prices
Despite what appeared to be a postponement in the drug price debate, which had been moving through Congress before the coronavirus outbreak, Trump is supposed to sign an executive order on Friday to address the problem.
The moment caught drug companies and lobbyists off guard as they had been enjoying attention for their efforts to fight the coronavirus, whether through diagnosis, treatment or a search for vaccines.
The Trump administration previously revealed a plan to cut drug costs, and it was previously reported that Trump was looking at three executive orders earlier this month.
Business groups representing the industry are waiting for the final language of the order before commenting publicly, they said in response to requests from Yahoo Finance.
Anjalee Khemlani is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @AnjKhem
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