Sunday’s statement by Dr. Anthony Fauci was in support of reopening schools following the holiday break. This guidance contradicts some teacher unions’ push to keep schools closed. Fauci stated to ABC News host George Stephanopoulos, that despite rising cases of the Omicron variant, he believes that reopening schools for learning in-person are the right decision given the widespread vaccinations of teachers and the adverse effects of not attending in person.
Fauci stated, “When we have done the balance so many times over the past year about the deleterious consequences of keeping children out in physical presence at the school, it’s very evident that there are some really grave effects about that.”
Fauci said, “If you consider the safety of children in regard to infection, most teachers are vaccinated, and the overwhelming majority of them are vaccinated.” “We can now vaccinate children starting at 5 years old and beyond.”
Fauci’s guidance is in direct contrast to teachers’ unions who advocate for schools to remain closed as the COVID-19 case surges amid the omicron variant. Chicago Teachers Union members threatened to strike last week if they were not able to meet their demands for testing for all students returning to class after winter break.
In recent years, teachers’ unions have been more politically active and donate 94% of their political contributions towards Democrats.
