Trump presses for schools to reopen, makes dig at Fauci

Washington , May 14 (AP) President Donald Trump called on goverrs across nation Wednesday to work to reopen schools in ir states, pointedly taking issue with Dr Anthony Fauci's caution against moving too quickly in sending students back to class.

president accused Fauci of wanting “to play all sides of equation," a comment that suggested he is tiring of nation's top infectious disease expert.

“I think y should open schools, absolutely. I think y should,”

Trump told reporters at White House, echoing comments he'd me in a television interview.

“Our country's got to get back and it's got to get back as soon as possible. And I don't consider our country coming back if schools are closed,” he said.

Fauci h urged caution in testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday, although he me clear that he believes reopening decisions will likely differ from one region to next.

“We don't kw everything about this virus and we really better be pretty careful, particularly when it comes to children,” Fauci told committee.

At one point, he told members that “ idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate re-entry of students into fall term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far.”

Fauci later clarified that he was t implying students should be barred from returning to class until a vaccine is developed.

But his comments were neless seized on by conservative commentators, as well as Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, who called tion “kind of ridiculous."

“To me, it's t an acceptable answer,” Trump said of Fauci on Wednesday.

He said coronavirus has “h very little impact on young people,” although re is growing concern over cases of a mysterious inflammatory syndrome in young people that is thought to be related to virus.

Speaking of Fauci, Trump told Maria Bartiromo in an interview for Fox Business Network's ”Mornings with Maria" that "I totally disagree with him on schools.”

In his testimony, Fauci issued a blunt warning that cities and states could “turn back clock” and see more death and ecomic dam if y lift stay-at-home orders too quickly — a mess that stands in sharp contrast to Trump's push to reopen nation as he tries to blunt ecomic dam during an election year.

“re is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may t be able to control,” Fauci warned as more than two dozen states have begun to lift ir lockdowns as a first step toward ecomic recovery.

Among those are Coloro and rth Dakota, whose goverrs met with Trump on Wednesday.

In rth Dakota, which has h fewer cases than many or states, Republican Goverr Doug Burgum allowed most businesses to reopen on May 1 with precautions that include limiting bars and restaurants to half capacity, requiring barbers and cosmetologists to wear masks and prohibiting some high-intensity fitness classes.

Burgum anunced this week that schools may offer some summer programs beginning June 1 if local school officials approve and precautions are taken, such as limiting class sizes.

At same time, cases and deaths continue to rise in state. Health officials on Tuesday reported two new deaths from COVID-19, bringing state's death toll to 38. state also reported 53 new cases, bringing total to 1,571.

impact on Coloro has been far worse. state's outbreak, which began in ski country, is w centered mostly in Denver metropolitan area.

And state's death toll surpassed 1,000 this week, with more than 20,000 having tested positive.

Democratic Goverr Jared Polis declared an early state of emergency and a stay-at-home directive that closed most businesses.

This month, Polis began to grually relax restrictions while warning re could be rollbacks if virus surges Early in pandemic, Polis criticised Federal Emergency Manment ncy for swooping in to purchase personal protective equipment and or supplies that Coloro, like many states, h been negotiating for with private vendors.

And he expressed frustration at free-for-all as states competed against each or to try to buy equipment, including ventilators and especially testing kits. But more recently he's taken a more diplomatic approach to working with Trump ministration. (AP) IND

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