Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said regular testing for coronavirus will play a big role in reopening schools this August.
He told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom" on Friday that he thinks there will be enough tests available to reopen schools.
Host Sandra Smith asked Alexander, “Should … kids plan on going back to school this fall?”
“My opinion is yes,” Alexander said. “There are some health risks — Dr. Fauci warned against cavalierly dismissing those — but we do know that COVID has been less damaging to younger people, even though they may carry it to older people. So, I think most principals, most school boards are making plans now to go back to school in August.”
He continued, “Any teacher can tell you there are other risks — the risks of social, intellectual, emotional damage to a child who might lose an entire school year, and we want to avoid that.”
Once schools are reopened, he said kids will be expected to wear masks, and social distancing measures will be implemented. He said school schedules may have to change in order to stagger the day to have less kids in classrooms. On top of that, schools will have to conduct regular testing.
“If you find a child in a classroom who is infected, he … or she is removed from the classroom, you test all of the other kids in the classroom, and make sure the school is safe,” he said.