NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A group of Tennessee doctors on Thursday warned that reopening schools while the coronavirus is spreading rapidly through the state is “insane.”
Dr. Amy Gordon Bono, a primary care physician with a masters degree in public health, said that rushing to reopen businesses caused the current spike in infections and rushing to reopen schools will do the same.
“There are no shortcuts,” she said during an online news conference. “Teachers can’t do their jobs until state leaders do theirs.”
Dr. Nick Cote, a family physician who leads a large medical group in Rutherford County, has a father-in-law in intensive care because of COVID-19 and a daughter who teaches school. He noted that, even in normal times, doctors see an increase in viral respiratory infections when school starts up. The new coronavirus may not have serious health consequences for a majority of children, but they are not the only ones to worry about, Cote said.
“The people who are not getting talked about are the teachers and the family members of the children,” he said. “No kid wants to bring home a virus that kills grandma.”