Schools in Los Angeles will not be able to reopen to students for the start of the school year on August 18 due to the explosion of Covid-19 cases in the region, school officials announced on Monday July 13. Classes will resume well on the scheduled date but will be provided remotely until further notice.
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" There is a public health imperative to prevent schools from becoming culture broths " for the new coronavirus, said Austin Beutner, head of the Los Angeles school district, the second most important, in a recorded intervention. United States, with some 600,000 students. With more than 300,000 cases identified and 7,000 dead, California remains one of the main centers of infection in the country, and Los Angeles County alone accounts for about half of the cases.
Even more worrying for experts, the infection rate among people tested in the county reached 10%, against only 4.6% in May, a sign that the transmission of Covid-19 is progressing in the area. “ The coronavirus did not take summer vacation as many had hoped. In reality, the virus has increased its attacks on our population, "deplore in a joint statement the school authorities of Los Angeles and San Diego, where classes will not reopen as expected in late August. “ One thing is clear: countries that have successfully reopened schools have done so with a lower infection rate and the ability to test those who request it. California has neither, "they say. The two school districts will prepare for a return to conventional physical education "as soon as public health conditions allow ".
A national political issue
Like wearing a mask before him, the dilemma between education of children and public health has become a national political issue. President Donald Trump said last week he wanted " schools to open in the fall " at all costs , deeming health guidelines " too harsh " and threatening to cut federal subsidies.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom countered that the health of children and educators was a " non-negotiable " priority . The decision to reopen schools in the United States rests neither with the president nor with the governors, but with each school district, locally.
