Trump Still Wants School Reopenings Despite Coronavirus Outbreak At Universities

A jump in the number of universities doing away with in-person instruction due to COVID-19 infection spikes isn't deterring president Donald Trump from demanding schools remain open for the entire fall semester.

The coronavirus surge among college students, which was predicted by public health experts, began in earnest this week as many schools opened for the fall semester. On Wednesday, Trump said universities must continue reopening their campuses despite a steadily growing number of COVID-19 outbreaks among students.

“We have learned one thing, there’s nothing like campus, There’s nothing like being with a teacher as opposed to being on a computer board,” said Trump in defending his demand. “The iPads are wonderful but you’re not going to learn the same way as being there.”

Claiming that keeping schools closed will kill more Americans than opening them, Trump again dismissed the dangers presented by the virus to older parents and teachers, comparing the disease's infectiousness to the seasonal flu.

“For older people and individuals with underlying conditions, the China virus is very dangerous,” claimed Trump. “But for university students the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal flu.”

While students are less likely to die or be hospitalized with severe symptoms of the disease, they can carry the disease to older persons they come into contact with. The more older people are infected, the higher hospitalization and death rates will rise. COVID-19 is far deadlier for older people and those with underlying or co-morbid conditions that make them more susceptible to contracting the virus.

“Instead of saving lives the decision to close universities could cost lives," claimed Trump. "It is significantly safer for students to live with other young people than to go home and spread the virus to older Americans."

Public health officials' fears that Trump's call to keep schools open despite the sudden surge will only get worse. Waves of schools are announcing closings due to virus' spread, switching to online classes rather than risk in-person learning.

On Tuesday, the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill canceled in-class instruction. Notre Dame announced a two-week-long suspension of in-person instruction effective Wednesday after 146 students and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. UNC canceled in-class instruction for the fall semester after the school's COVID-19 positivity rate ballooned to 13.6% from 2.8%.

On Monday, the sorority house of Pi Beta Phi was placed is quarantine and isolation by Oklahoma State University after 23 sorority members tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

“This was expected,” said Monica Roberts, OSU director of media relations. “When you bring back 20,000 students, there will invariably be more cases related to campus ... Our priority is the safety and well-being of our campus community and transparency in communications.”

Auburn University placed a fraternity dorm and one floor of a sorority dorm under a two-week quarantine after a number of students tested positive for the virus. North Carolina State University reported a coronavirus cluster and a number of separate cases within the Greek life community.

Similar scenarios are playing out at public schools across the nation as educators and parents struggle to find the safest solutions.