Dr. Fauci Says Some Schools Should Open, Calls It A ‘Complex Issue’

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been noted for his realistic and often grim comments on the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for the U.S. to recover from it.

However, in a new interview with MarketWatch, the famed immunologist had a surprisingly optimistic outlook on a topic that has dominated recent conversation: schools. In recent weeks, President Trump and his supporters have pushed hard for all schools to reopen in the fall, despite the dangers they would pose to children. Fauci, who has frequently clashed with Trump on the virus, supports reopening schools, but only in certain areas.

“It’s a complex issue,” Fauci said. “The fundamental default should be that we should try as best as we possibly can to open up the schools. But we have to remember, as a paramount consideration, the safety and the health of the children and teachers… It’s unpredictable. Things could change pretty rapidly. But it doesn’t look like we’ll be facing a full year with no in-person schooling.”

Fauci explained that the country’s approach to reopening schools should not be a one-size-fits-all blanket policy. Schools in areas with little to no infections, he explained, should be able to reopen with no changes. While areas with moderate to high levels of infections should consider new practices like physically distancing children and splitting classes across alternating days or time frames. At worst, some schools should continue remote learning.

“It’s going to vary depending on the risk,” Fauci said.”

Further along in the interview, Fauci stated that he believes the U.S. remains in the first wave of coronavirus, not a second one, as some have said given the recent resurgence in over 40 states.

“I’ve never bought into this issue,” he said. “We are still in a pretty big first wave. You talk about the possibility of a second wave when you’ve gone down to baseline and there aren’t too many new infections.”