‘Terrified’ MS parents beg Reeves, Dobbs to re-think opening schools during COVID-19
As Tate Reeves talked Wednesday on Facebook Live, with COVID-19 cases deluging Mississippi, the comments rolled in one after another, until thousands stacked up.
Many of them were from commenters who are terrified or angry over the thought of sending children back to school the first week in August.
Those watching were especially alarmed as State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs assured viewers that children get sick from COVID-19 and, on rare occasions, they even die.
Dobbs was not talking about schools when he brought this up, but about the need to take safety precautions against the spread of COVID-19, even for young people, who became infected and spread the virus at high rates after shelter-at-home mandates ended April 27.
He offered these numbers on child COVID-19 cases:
▪ 2,413 cases in children ages 11-17
▪ 990 cases in children 6-10
▪ 850 in children 1-5
▪ 356 confirmed cases in children under 1.
Mass gatherings should be avoided, Dobbs says
Nobody under the age of 18 has died from COVID-19 in Mississippi, although a total of 1,423 adults have died, with a total of 47,071 confirmed cases. Ten of those who died were between the ages of 18-29.
And, as Dobbs has pointed out more than once, children spread the virus among older family members at higher risk of grave illness or death.
Dobbs also said Wednesday that too many people are gathering in groups, prompting even more comments about children being together in schools.
Dobbs said he has seen pictures of mass gatherings from social media, which he personally tries to avoid.
“We do not need to be having mass gatherings,” he said sternly. “I don’t care if it’s social, or whatever purpose. When we put a lot of people together in a large group, that is extremely dangerous, indoors and outdoors.
“So please refrain and please keep your kids from going, too, because they’re going to get it and they’re going to bring it back and spread it to the family and they may get sick as well.”
Facebook comments on school starting
Comments on schools continued to roll in.
A sampling of the comments, preceded by the name on each comment:
Tammy Sanderson — “How can you send my daughter and son back to school right now. We are terrified. Please postpone opening school here in Harrison County Schools.”
Sissy Western — “Can you guarantee hospital space for the children and their families when they get sick?”
Kim Herard — “ ‘Keep your kids from going to large gatherings or they’re going to bring it back to their families.’ ” Hmmm sounds like school might not be too safe for families then.”
Susan Smith — “Shouldn’t put children or teachers in this situation. It’s not safe to go back to school for anyone. Don’t put their lives on the line.”
Terry McAlister Boler — “My husband was told he has 32 in his class. HOW DO YOU SOCIAL DISTANCE????”
Ann Mason — “When our students get back here at Ole Miss . . . oh mercy it’s going up!!!!”
Heather Henson Whittington — “Thank you for sending the kids back to school. They need some normalcy in the midst of all this!”
Brenda Owens — “What good is an education if we are all killed off?”
The Facebook Live session included more than 1,000 comments, many of which were about schools. It had been viewed a whopping 120,000 times before the day ended.
‘Schools are important’
A journalist attending the news conference by video asked how school could start with new cases averaging almost 1,215 cases a day over seven days.
Dobbs said that he expects COVID-19 cases will still be high when school starts, even if it is delayed for a couple of weeks.
“It’s probably going to be bad for a long time,” he said, “and I’ll tell you, as far as just from a pure infection control perspective, it makes perfect sense to just not open schools at all because there will be more cases of coronavirus when we open schools and when we do other stuff.”
“But schools are important. Our kids have to get educated, our kids have to have access to socialization. And, sometimes, nutrition is a very important part of that and just a lot of different support mechanisms.”
Reeves added that school officials and students can’t pretend the virus doesn’t exist. He said things will need to be done differently over the next two to three months.
The MSDH has issued guidelines for schools, which Dobbs pointed out are on the website and available for parents to view, too.
The website also includes guidance for school re-entry from the American Academy of Pediatrics, plus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Distance learning options are available in some school districts, but rules vary, and internet access is not always available for those who want their children to learn from home.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
