Ok, I have been seeing alot of posts on the other side of this debate today. Know that my disagreement comes from a place of attempted empathy and understanding for both sides. I am a parent of a special needs child. Not being in school or receiving in person services has for sure had a negative impact on our daughter. I want nothing more than for her to be back in school ASAP. However, COVID-19 is a new sickness that we are learning more about each day. It is not over and it is in no way as well researched or understood as the FLU. Using statistics from a few months of a sickness that we are STILL IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC from to compare to a sickness that we have been studying for nearly the entirety of modern medicine (i.e. the FLU) is at the very least ignorant of how statistics work and at the very worst a dangerous misuse of statistics that could lead to countless more deaths. Yes, the numbers show that children are at a very low risk for getting sick from COVID-19. But what about their teachers? What about their families? Not taking any precautions at all may be just fine for our kids, but then what? We quarantine them from the rest of the world? We keep them from their grandparents and family members who are more at risk? We were afraid, being special needs, that our daughter would not wear a mask, we got her one anyway and she has adapted to it when needed. I know this will not be the case for every child, and I have read that special needs, etc that have real issues preventing masks will be allowed to not. Also, there are conflicting reports that prolonged mask usage is bad for us. I can see how this might be the case. But right now it's the only halfway decent solution we have. Also, I know and understand that many have children that have to go back to daycare, etc RIGHT NOW. Please know that I share your concerns with what these guidelines that are still being assesed and updated daily will mean in the immediate future. I just hope that they too will be doing a REALISTIC BEST EFFORT to keep your children safe. Full disregard for all guidelines because they are hard won't get us there IMO.
TL, DR? I WILL NOT support any proposal that uses misleading statistics to potentially turn my children / all children into walking "smallpox" blankets for their families and communities. I WILL support the work being done by the CDC and my state officials to come up with a plan (that changes almost every day and every time new info is learned) that is a BEST EFFORT to keep our children, their families and the community safe and let me save you the trouble of posting links to the WHO statement from yesterday. As I said above we are learning more about this sickness on a MINUTE BY MINUTE basis because it is a NEW sickness and we are STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC. Yesterday, a top person in the who said that spread of the disease from asymptomatic people who did not develop symptoms is rare... Today they are walking back from that statement.
https://cnbc.com/2020/06/09/who-scrambles-to-clarify-comments-on-asymptomatic-coronavirus-spread-much-is-still-unknown.html…
The lesson, do not jump to conclusions. Collect DATA, be patient, be concerned, work towards a BEST EFFORT that keeps the MOST PEOPLE safe.