Florida School Reopening Adds Increase of Coronavirus Among Children
Florida school reopening is cited for adding to the increasing number of children who have tested positive for the coronavirus in just two weeks.
Based on a report released by the Department of Health of Florida, there is a marked increase of nearly 9,000 cases since schools have started to reopen across the state.
The increase brings the total number of children under 18 years old who have COVID-19 to 48,730 in Florida.
Last August 9, the number of confirmed cases among children was at 39,735.
This confirms that the nearly 9,000 increase of COVID-19 positive cases among children happened in just two weeks.
Of the 48,730 children diagnosed with the disease, 17,311 are between 14 and 17 years old, while 12,946 COVID-positive children are between 5 and 10 years old.
The report showed the number of children confined in hospitals due to COVID-19 also increased from 436 to 602 in just two weeks.
According to Newsweek, the health department said that about 700 of the COVID-19 confirmed cases are linked to schools' reopening.
And, this is in both K-12 schools and universities.
Florida teachers are against schools reopening as the COVID cases in Florida have continued to surge.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida has the second-highest number of COVID-positive cases at 599,176.
Florida's health department, however, has the number of confirmed cases at 605,502 with 10,580 deaths.
Florida School Reopening
Despite the increasing numbers of infection among Florida children, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an emergency order last July.
The order required all school districts to reopen schools for five days a week.
Corcoran's order also stated that local superintendents and school boards would have the final say on whether or not to reopen schools.
However, it also said that school funding would depend on schools that will reopen.
The teachers were not the only ones who disagreed with the order.
The parents and doctors were also against it, as stated by a CNN report.
Teachers File Lawsuit
The order prompted the Florida teachers to sue Corcoran and several other state officials.
Last Monday, August 24, the Florida educators won their case.
A Florida judge ruled in their favor and said the emergency order was not constitutional.
The judge's decision blocked the emergency order to reopen schools.
It also allowed the individual school districts to decide when to reopen schools.
According to the judge, the local districts will be the ones to know when they should reopen.
And that they will make a decision based on the advice of medical experts.
However, victory was fleeting for teachers as the judge's order got suspended.
This, because the state education department immediately appealed the decision.
The increasing number of children getting COVID and needing hospitalization is not the only Florida school reopening concerns.
CBS News reported that there is also an increase in the number of deaths among Florida children due to COVID.
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