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Coronavirus Updates: Top Health Expert Urges De Blasio To Delay In-Person School Reopening

By

Elizabeth Kim

Published Aug 19, 2020

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Pedestrians walk past the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock

By

Elizabeth Kim

Published Aug 19, 2020

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This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Wednesday, August 19th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here.

New York City is in Phase 4 of reopening now, which includes zoos, botanical gardens, and professional sports (without fans). A look at preparing for the spread of coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is ourregularly updated coronavirus FAQ. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.

Here's the latest:

A top children's health expert who has advised the administration is urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay in-person classes as part of his plan to reopen public schools on September 10th.

Speaking on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show on Tuesday, Dr. Irwin Redlener warned that schools are "going to become hotbeds for the infections to take hold again and spread through the community."

"It's almost inevitable if we are in fact going to even hold some classes in real time in real classrooms," he added.

Earlier in the month, Redlener penned an op-ed in the Daily Beast in which he argued that schools should not reopen until point-of-care rapid testing and a vaccine are available.

"Until then, most school systems should hit the pause button rather than run that cruel experiment," he wrote.

A widely respected authority on pediatrics and public health who works at Columbia University, Redlener has informally advised the mayor throughout the pandemic. He now joins the chorus of critics led by the teachers' union that the reopening of New York City schools will put children and teachers at risk for contracting coronavirus.

Pressure is mounting on the mayor to delay the reopening of schools. On Wednesday, Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents New York City teachers, unveiled a report calling for specific actions to be taken before any school reopens.

Both the UFT and the principals' union have called on the mayor to delay the start of school, citing insufficient health and safety preparation.

De Blasio has held firm on his plan to reopen schools in September, although he has made some efforts to allay concerns. Last week, he pledged to assign a nurse to every school in the city as well as to distribute supplies like masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, soap and disinfectant wipes. On Monday, he announced a hotline for principals to request cleaning supplies or personal protective equipment.

On Monday, the mayor assured the public that schools would be safe. “Whatever our schools need, they’re going to have," he said.

Testing is still a looming question. "New York City must have a rigorous and extensive testing system," Mulgrew said on Wednesday.

He added that every single person, both adults and children who enter schools, must show proof that they are not infected and urged the city to require antibody tests.

Los Angeles, the country's second largest school district, on Monday announced an ambitious effort to test nearly 700,000 students and 75,000 employees. New York City currently only plans to ask teachers to take a test one week before the start of school and then once a month after that. Testing will not be mandatory for neither teachers or students.

"We're not ready," Redlener told Lehrer. "The ventilation systems in schools have not been upgraded, and that's a critical factor here. The teachers are concerned. We're just gonna have trouble, and I wish we were delaying this opening until we have some more issues that we've taken care of."

Tagged

covid-19 updates

coronavirus

Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

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