Dr. Marc Siegel on CDC issuing new guidelines for reopening amid coronavirus crisis
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases new guidance for schools, businesses and other organizations as states begin to gradually reopen; Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel weighs in.
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Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel weighed in Friday on the requirements that he believes must be met in order for children to go back to school in the fall, before a coronavirus vaccine is expected to be available.
Siegel said on "America's Newsroom" that it's "absolutely" going to be a large undertaking for officials to make sure kids can go back to schools. He said it will start with social distancing guidelines, employees and teachers wearing masks, disinfecting classrooms and facilities, and practicing hand hygiene. Siegel said once those steps are taken, the next phase is screening students and teachers for possible symptoms of COVID-19.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday released new guidance for schools, businesses and other organizations as states begin to gradually reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC posted six one-page “Decision Tool” documents on its website, using traffic signals and other graphics to guide businesses on how to safely reopen.
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The tools are for schools, workplaces, camps, childcare centers, mass transit systems, and bars and restaurants. The CDC originally also authored a document for churches and other religious facilities, but that wasn't posted Thursday.
Many of the tools include the use of social distancing, regulating the number of people who can be inside a business, and practicing smart hygiene and cleaning practices. Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the White House coronavirus task force, warned in Senate testimony against opening schools and businesses too quickly.
When asked about schools reopening in the fall, Fauci said it would be a "bridge too far" to expect that a vaccine or a clinically proven treatment would be ready in time.
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Siegel said there is "no mention of testing" in the CDC guidelines and he'd like to see that addressed in the future. He said testing could be needed in case a student or employee has come in contact with someone who is infected but isn't displaying symptoms.
He added there was no mention of having children wearing masks at school. Siegel said that overall, the policies will have to come down to the region and whether the area has an outbreak of the virus.
"Taking a temperature isn't going to be enough because a lot of times, COVID-19 presents without a fever," he explained.
Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report.
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