WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Nearly 39 million public school students in 38 states, Puerto Rico and D.C. are staying home as schools temporarily close their doors. New York City Public Schools, the largest in the nation, recently joined that growing list.
"I know all of the negative ramifications of this decision, and it's very painful," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
It includes continuing to provide food for the millions of students nationwide who qualify for free, or reduced, price meals. In Fairfax County, Virginia, where 50,000 students use the program, staffers today provided cold sandwiches outside locked doorways.
"We want to be able to provide for those families, and provide meals for those families and children during this time," Morgan Maloney of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia said.
Unlike schools, many daycare centers are choosing to remain open. 7.5 million U.S. children are enrolled in daycare centers. Most of them are keeping their doors open despite bans on public gatherings, something the coronavirus task force seemed surprised by during Monday's briefing.
Governors have also been hesitant to issue orders that would close daycare centers. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine initially urged daycares to remain open, noting many healtchare workers have small children.
He tweeted, "Our healthcare systems need to be staffed. You'll start seeing healthcare facilities creating their own day cares. To close day cares overnight won't work, but, it's coming."
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently expanded access to child care services for first responders and health care workers by suspending regulations. For now, Maryland daycares are able to stay open at their own discretion.
That is not without risk. A 2004 NIH study found that children account for most of the twenty-one million respiratory infections in an average year. With COVID-19, they can become silent carriers who pose a risk to older adults they come in contact with.