Schools have been closed since March 13th due to the Covid-19 corona virus, giving almost 30 million children in the United States an unexpected early summer vacation. With aspirations of opening schools in the fall, data is suggesting that simply may not be possible. The re-opening of schools and colleges would symbolize strength in our economy system, and provide the sense of resurgence in normalcy. However, with low expectations of a readily made vaccine for Covid-19 being available in the fall, hopes of educational institutions opening back up around August-September are dampening. Recently, the California State University system announced that college students would not be returning to campuses in the fall. They will continue to work remotely as they did during the 2020 spring semester. This is a great indication that establishments serving thousands are ideal hot spots for Covid-19. A new projection by an institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model has predicted that up to 147,000 Americans could potentially die by August 4th of this year. There have also been several reports of now a new type of virus, which may be an offspring of Covid-19 that has been found in children 5 and under. Known as “pediatric multi system inflammatory syndrome,” the notion that children are less likely to catch the disease is just not true. Therefore, the fear of children being susceptible to the virus and spreading it amongst their peers and educators increases the likelihood that school will continue to be a remote experience. While it is healthy to remain positive and optimistic about the future of our current state, it’s also important to be realistic of the current state of life. It would be immature to underestimate the effect of Covid-19 on young people, and ultimately very costly for society, culture and economy. With the absence of strong leadership, one of the only indicators we will have of a strong and resurgent economy is the opening of schools and colleges. The question is when that will be.
A.U.P 