On August 6, 2020, Dr. Caitlin Rivers, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, provided testimony at a congressional hearing on public health considerations for reopening schools for in-person learning.
The hearing was convened by the US House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
Dr. Rivers’ testimony provided an update on the outbreak in the United States, what is known and unknown about the disease in children, and what factors must be considered to safely reopen schools.
“We have been looking ahead to school reopening since they first closed in March. And now, in August, the time we knew would come has indeed arrived. Schools are preparing for a new school year, but, irrespective of whether they are virtual or in-person, this year will present unprecedented challenges to teachers, administrators, students and their families,” said Dr. Rivers. “Our outbreak is simply not under control like we hoped it would be by this time.”
Dr. Rivers provided recommendations for a way forward:
Read the full testimony. (PDF)