Fauci Says Prolonged COVID-19 School Closures Were a 'Mistake'
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In a recent interview, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci, the foremost U.S. public-health official during the COVID-19 pandemic, said that school closures went on for too long.
Key Details: Research by the Center for School and Student Progress has shown that it might take at least five years for students to completely catch up on the education they lost during COVID-19. The widest gap was seen in Latino, black and low-income communities.
Key Quote: “Shutting down everything immediately — and we didn’t shut it down completely — but essentially major social distancing and even schools was the right thing,” Fauci told CBS News (Lean Left bias). “How long you kept it was the problem, because there was a disparity throughout the country. If you go back and look at the YouTube, I kept on saying, ‘Close the bars, open the schools. Open the schools as quickly and as safely as you possibly can.’ But initially to close it down was correct. Keeping it for a year was not a good idea.”
For Context: In some areas, school closures lasted for more than a year. According to several academic studies, this was especially true in school districts with left-wing teachers unions. Red states such as Florida opened schools quicker and adhered to less stringent COVID-19 lockdown policies.
How the Media Covered it: Other than CBS News, AllSides didn't find any coverage of Fauci's comments from left-rated news sources.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Dr. Fauci Admits Pandemic School Closures Lasted Too Long, Defends Initial Shutdowns
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s foremost public-health official during the coronavirus pandemic, admitted in a recent interview that school closures went on for too long.
“Shutting down everything immediately — and we didn’t shut it down completely — but essentially major social distancing and even schools was the right thing,” Fauci told CBS during an interview to promote his new memoir. Fauci worked in the federal government for decades and at one point was the highest paid federal employee.
From the Center
Fauci backtracks on year-long pandemic school closures, admits they were 'mistake'
Dr. Anthony Fauci backtracked his support Tuesday for a COVID-19 mitigation method which closed down schools throughout the country, calling the strategy a “mistake.”
Fauci helped lead the nation's initial response to COVID-19 as part of the Trump administration. In an interview with CBS Mornings this week, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases (NIAID) director explained school closures were necessary at the very beginning of the pandemic.
"I think what was not a mistake was the actual closure,” he said. “When we had to shut down, that 15-day to...
From the Left
Dr. Anthony Fauci says keeping schools shut down for so long amid COVID "was not a good idea"
Dr. Anthony Fauci is reflecting on some of the actions taken in response to the COVID pandemic, including school closures, which have led to a learning loss across the country.
The initial closure was not a mistake, he said Tuesday on "CBS Mornings," but questions the length schools were kept shut.
"Shutting down everything immediately — and we didn't shut it down completely — but essentially major social distancing and even schools was the right thing," Fauci said. "How long you kept it was the problem, because there was a disparity throughout the country. If...
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