Closed schools and loss of women in the workforce is a ‘national emergency’, says Biden

Biden told “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell” that he believed it was “time for schools to reopen safely”, ahead of the expected launch this week of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention guide to reopen schools.

The president’s comments come amid a national debate about when and how to get students back to classrooms safely, as the pandemic continues to devastate the country and has forced many classes completely online. They also come because women, especially black and Latino women, suffer severe job losses because they work disproportionately in some of the sectors most affected by the pandemic, including education.

“About 20 million American children have not been in the classroom for almost a year. There is a mental health crisis going on, ”said O’Donnell.

“It really does exist,” said Biden, nodding.

“Women are leaving the workforce,” continued O’Donnell. “Is this a national emergency?”

“It is a national emergency,” replied Biden. “It is genuinely a national emergency.”

“I think it’s time for schools to reopen safely. Safely,” said the president. He pointed to the reduction in the number of people allowed in each classroom and adequate ventilation systems as examples of necessary protocols.

Biden said the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, would leave with the guidance, which he described as “science-based trial”, as early as Wednesday.

“I think about the price, a lot of my grandchildren and their kids are going to pay for not having a chance to finish anything. That graduation when you couldn’t get across the stage,” said Biden.

Walensky said on Monday that the best way to get schools to reopen safely “is to decrease the spread of the community” and maintain mitigation measures, such as masking and social detachment.

“School data suggests that there is very little transmission going on within schools, especially when there is masking and detachment taking place. And that when there are broadcasts in schools, it is because they were brought from the community and because there are loopholes in masking and distance, “said Walensky during a meeting at the White House.

Last week, Walensky suggested that schools could reopen without teachers receiving vaccines from Covid-19. White House press secretary Jen Psaki initially said that Walensky was speaking “in his personal capacity” and said that although Walensky was the head of the CDC, his comments were not the same as the official guidance of the CDC. But Psaki later seemed to agree with Walensky, saying that vaccinations were only part of several mitigating factors that will help schools reopen safely, including wearing masks and social detachment.

Part of the $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package that Biden proposed to Congress includes additional funding for schools to operate safely in person. Biden also signed several executive actions to help support the reopening of schools and establish a national strategy to bring the pandemic under control.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, recently warned that the reopening of most schools in 100 days “may not happen” as the United States continues to struggle with high Covid-19 transmission. The coronavirus pandemic killed more than 463,500 Americans on Monday morning.