Biden COVID advisers unanimously oppose reopening schools

Despite overwhelming evidence that it is safe to open schools.

According to the arbitrary reopening metrics advanced by the six members of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, most schools across America will be closed indefinitely until coronavirus transmission grinds to an almost complete halt. 

To Biden’s hand-selected team of COVID advisers, it seemingly doesn’t matter that school children and college students rarely, if ever, present any symptoms or further complications, Team Biden has made it clear that they unanimously do not recommend sending children back to school under the current “casedemic” environment that America is dealing with. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence worldwide that full, unabated school reopenings are both harmless to children and do not boost transmission, the Biden COVID-19 advisers remain insistent upon their long-held arguments that their unexplained arbitrary metrics are the key to reopening schools. Moreover, they remain completely ignorant on the impact distance learning is having on America’s schoolchildren.

Aaron Ginn @aginnt

"Children going to primary school or nursery are at no greater risk of picking up Covid-19 than those staying at home, according to the first results of a national surveillance program [in the UK]."

thetimes.co.ukGoing to school ‘does not increase risk of young children catching coronavirus’Children going to primary school or nursery are at no greater risk of picking up Covid-19 than those staying at home, according to the first results of a national surveillance programme.Public Health

Biden’s public health committee members (which was established to act as his “COVID task force”) are Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel, Dr. Rebecca Katz, Dr. David Kessler, Lisa Monaco, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Irwin Redlener. These Biden advisers have publicly expressed their opposition to full school reopenings under current conditions.

Daniel Horowitz @RMConservative

11k "cases" across 17 state university systems. ZERO hospitalizations.

conservativereview.comHorowitz: Thousands of cases but ZERO hospitalizations in colleges: This is GOOD news. But states and colleges force draconian lockdownsRemember the goal of flattening the curve?

Dr. Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician and adviser to New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, has made it clear he believes it’s a “dangerous experiment” to reopen schools, despite the data showing that reopening schools is not dangerous.

Irwin Redlener, MD @IrwinRedlenerMD

Reopening schools in September is a dangerous experiment affecting 55 million children. We should wait for rapid on-site testing, a vaccine available and good ventilation in all classrooms. Via @thedailybeast #schoolreopening #COVID19testing

The Daily Beast @thedailybeast

"When we have point-of-care rapid testing available and an effective vaccine, we can move quickly to get our [kids back to school]. Until then, most school systems should hit the pause button rather than run that cruel experiment," asserts Irwin Redlener. https://t.co/IXHsOn6VlR

Redlener claims reopening schools is akin to playing “Russian roulette” with kids’ lives.

Irwin Redlener, MD @IrwinRedlenerMD

On eve of opening schools, many in the big city and rural communities do not have funds to fix defective ventilation systems, provide enough separation of kids. Plus masks for every person in the school! Can’t play Russian roulette with our kids' health – or their teachers!

When schools reopened in Texas, Dr. Redlener argued that a “tsunami” of chaos was coming for children 

Irwin Redlener, MD @IrwinRedlenerMD

With schools reopening in TX, we don’t do enough testing to begin with, especially with children. We just don’t have enough information to make completely evidence-based decisions here and the tsunami is coming. @OliviaMesser @thedailybeast ow.ly/DHCx50AKA4S

Dr. “Zeke” Emanuel, who was integral to the formation of Obamacare, contends that even a miniscule amount of “community transmission” means that students should not be returning to in person learning. He explained this in a New York Times op-ed and multiple tweet threads:

Zeke Emanuel @ZekeEmanuel

When deciding to send kids to school, the 1st Q to ask is “How prevalent is #COVID19 in the community?" If very common, then in-person school is probably a bad idea. But if spread is low and institutions are following good practices, then it's different. It really depends. 1/3

Zeke Emanuel @ZekeEmanuel

Unfortunately, there’s too much community spread in most of the country. I’m a big advocate for opening schools responsibly, but you can’t just do it on a wing and a prayer--You actually have to plan. I'm very upset this admin. has failed to plan for or invest in schools. 2/3

Under Emmanuel’s reopening plan, “schools should open only in places that have fewer than 75 confirmed cases per 100,000 people cumulatively over the previous seven days.” Only 12 states met his threshold when he wrote the article in late July.

Bethany S. Mandel @bethanyshondark

A lot of you need to read this today.

theatlantic.comDistance Learning Isn’t WorkingInstead of trying to move classes online, schools should support parents in educating their children.

Even if community spread is sufficiently low, Emmanuel insists that school children should be isolated, forced to wear face masks all day, and constantly sanitized in order to bring about his “safe” schooling vision.

Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General under President Obama, argues that we must “control the virus” prior to reopening:

Vivek Murthy @vivek_murthy

UNC-Chapel Hill is changing from in person to virtual classes after 177 students tested positive after just 1 week. Bottom line: reopening while #COVID19 prevalence is high is very difficult. Control the virus first-that's how to reopen college safely. 1/x

washingtonpost.comUNC-Chapel Hill pivots to remote teaching after coronavirus spreads among students during first week of classThe public health conditions at the university were being closely watched as colleges around the country move this month toward reopening.

In a New York Times op-ed, Dr. David Kessler, the FDA commissioner from 1990-1997, says that schools can reopen “only if the number of new infections is extremely low and controlled.” Kessler’s metric, which, again, does not bother to account for the fact that school children are not at risk, will ensure that most schools are closed indefinitely.

Dr. Rebecca Katz, a professor at Georgetown University, laid out her own whimsical standard for students returning to in person learning. 

“Before reopening, you have to lower the incidence” of COVID transmission, she said in a panel discussion with Jill Biden last month. “If it’s more than five cases per 1,000 people, then bringing students, teachers, and staff back will result in the transmission of the virus.”

Obama Homeland Security Adviser Lisa Monaco has not commented publicly on school reopenings. However, the international law firm that employs her is soliciting business with their “coronavirus resource center,” after naming Monaco as the leader of their in-house COVID task force.

Biden’s task force remains unanimously opposed to full school reopenings without preconditions, despite the fact that the evidence has been made clear, through examples in countless nations, that reopening schools does not threaten society with additional risks from the coronavirus epidemic. The plan on Biden’s website calls for getting the virus “under control” prior to reopening, in addition to countless extra steps such as “closing the educational equity gap” and ramping up coronavirus testing, contract tracing, and several other hurdles to reopening. If Joe Biden is elected president in November, it’s safe to say that the guidance coming on down from the White House in January of 2021 will call for significant hurdles before schools are “allowed” to reopen again.

[Thanks for reading! I would be honored if you are willing to support my work and subscribe to The Mass Illusion, my newsletter for people concerned about our “new normal.”]