US President Donald Trump’s administration has blocked the officials of CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) from testifying to the US Congress over school safety plans. Trump’s administration has demanded schools reopen within weeks in spite of increasing coronavirus infections across the country. The White House issued a statement and said, “The Director of CDC Dr. Robert Redfield has testified on the Hill at least 4 times over the last 3-months. We need our doctors focused on the pandemic response”. The Chairman of House Education and Labor Committee, Bobby Scott called the move as alarming and condemned the strategy of Trump administration of prioritizing politics over science” and its “devastating impact on our country throughout this pandemic.
Scott added, “It should not make that same mistake when it comes to reopening schools”. A subcommittee hearing is scheduled on 23rd July to discuss safely reopening schools. The White House decision follows similar attempts to avoid prominent health officials from testifying to US Congress about the administration’s coronavirus response. Dr. Redfield and other administration officials have appeared in front of several congressional panels within recent weeks. Initial CDC guidelines for schools included a checklist for school staff to determine readiness. It urged contingency plans if there’s an outbreak or illness and to educate students about physically distancing from others, proper hand-washing, and other measures.
Point to be noted that extended guidelines were initially set for release this week, but the CDC has announced that extended guidelines will be released by the end of the month. Moreover, the president has criticized the guidelines and called it very tough and expensive for schools to follow as he continues to urge schools to reopen while he oversees a dramatic rise in infections. Trump also threatened to withhold funding to schools that refuse to reopen. CDC said in a statement, “These science- and evidence-based resources and tools will provide additional information for administrators, teachers, staff, parents, caregivers, and guardians, as together we work towards the public health-oriented goal of safely opening schools this fall”.