COVID-19: WHO warns against 'politicised' school reopening | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
15th July 2020
The World Health Organisation, (WHO) has issued a warning to governments worldwide on making politicised decisions on reopening of schools, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
A senior WHO official Dr Michael Ryan said the reopening of schools should be based on data-driven COVID-19 public health strategies and not just political.
Ryan, the Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme stated this at a briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his words, “We can’t play Whack-a-mole. We need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time”.
He lamented that the issue of school reopening had become a “political football.”
According to Ryan, such was not fair on children.
“Decisions must be made on data, and an understanding of the risks.
“There needs to be a sustained commitment on suppressing the virus. If we can suppress it, then, schools can open safely.”
EduCeleb.com reports that there are over 3 million recorded cases of the pandemic globally out of which not less than 550 thousand deaths followed.