Trump says schools in US should be opened 'ASAP'
President Donald Trump speaks to the press on the South Lawn of the White House prior to departing on Marine One on May 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON D.C. - President Trump urged the reopening of schools throughout the U.S. on Sunday, as most remain closed to limit the coronavirus spread and protect the health of students during the pandemic.
His tweet was an apparent reaction to similar comments from Fox News' Steve Hilton on his program "The Next Revolution." Trump tagged Hilton and Fox News in a tweet Sunday where he mentioned reopening schools "ASAP."
"Schools in our country should be opened ASAP. Much very good information now available. @SteveHiltonx @FoxNews," Trump wrote.
Hilton had demanded on his show the need to, "Get on with it and reopen schools now before you do even more needless damage."
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He said using masks to stop the virus' spread seems appropriate, but added that measures like temperature checks seem to be "totally pointless." He also called certain social distancing rules as "totally arbitrary."
"Only one or two people allowed in an elevator at one time, good luck trying to reopen New York on that," he said.
Hilton cited some studies that suggested students can't transmit the virus to others. He also referenced an NPR report this month that said the mental health of children has been impacted as they stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was cautious about reopening schools -- even in the fall -- due to the emergence of a severe inflammatory condition found in children believed to be associated with the coronavirus.
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While the coronavirus in normally less harmful in children -- who typically have only mild symptoms -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory earlier this month regarding the potentially severe condition.
Doctors describe the inflammatory condition (MIS-C), to be similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes swelling in medium-sized arteries throughout the body. MIS-C can cause persistent fever and symptoms that include hypotension, rashes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, as well as elevated inflammatory markers, the CDC said.
At least four children have died of apparent MIS-C in recent weeks, the Washington Post reported.
"We don't know everything about this virus, and we really better be very careful, particularly when it comes to children," Fauci said, according to NPR.
A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll published last week found that 41 percent of Americans think it's a bad idea to reopen schools this fall, while about one-third thought it was a good idea.
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