Dr. Saphier: Governors can't just say they want to try to reopen schools, we need to hear a plan to do it
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says state 'must try' to include some aspect of in-person education in the fall; Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier reacts.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier told “Fox & Friends" Tuesday that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is guilty of “a lot of talk without action” on the question of whether to reopen schools this fall.
“Murphy says he anticipates, he wants, we should try to some level [to reopen]," Saphier said. "That’s not really coming down hard."
Saphier noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have said that “in-person classes are critical.”
“We can’t just be saying, 'We’re going to try and do that,'" she said. "I want to hear how we’re going to do that."
Murphy announced Friday that the state will give parents the option of having their kids educated through “all-remote learning” in the 2020-21 school year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We have large studies now telling us that yes, these children can transmit the virus. However, [they're] maybe half as likely [to do so than] adults,” Saphier said. “What are they going to do to make sure these kids get back to school?
"How are they going to improve ventilation?" she asked. "Are they going to maybe have windows open when possible? Are they going to move children to outside areas? What are they going to do to make sure that they make some level of physical social distancing?”
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Saphier added that because the virus is “aerosolized,” it is more contagious and able to stay and linger in the air for longer periods of time.
“It’s not just necessarily screening the sick and making sure they stay home, it’s about improving ventilation," she said. "And, of course, that requires funding and availability.”
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