CDC Director Questions ‘Critical Worker’ Designation For Teachers

The Hill: CDC Director Says Teachers Don't Need 'Critical' Label 
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that teachers don't need to be formally recognized as "critical workers," a designation that would potentially exempt them from COVID-19 quarantine requirements. "I think they didn’t need to be formally recognized as critical infrastructure workers, because in fact, I think we all know they are," Robert Redfield said during a call with reporters. (Weixel, 8/21)

The Hill: CDC Report Says Some Child Care Centers May Be Safely Reopened 
It may be relatively safe to reopen child care centers in states where COVID-19 is contained and precautions are taken, according to a new report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report identified 52 cases of COVID-19 over a two-month period in 29 out of 666 child care programs in Rhode Island that were allowed to open. The programs had a capacity for nearly 19,000 children, but it’s not clear how many were enrolled between June 1 and July 31, when the analysis took place. (Hellmann, 8/21)

CIDRAP: CDC's Redfield Addresses School Reopening, Citing Promising Study
After reopening 666 childcare centers this summer, Rhode Island reported limited transmission of COVID-19 among children and staff, offering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more evidence on how to safely reopen schools for in-person learning this fall. A report on the measures Rhode Island childcare centers took to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus is published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, gave a telebriefing today on the findings. (Soucheray, 8/21)

AP: Iowa Confirms First Child Death From COVID As Schools Reopen
A young child died due to complications from coronavirus in June, the first confirmed death of a minor in Iowa during the pandemic, the state health department belatedly announced Sunday evening. The Iowa Department of Public Health said the state medical examiner’s office concluded its case investigation Aug. 6 into the death of the child, who was under the age of 5. But the death wasn’t reported in the state’s statistics until Saturday, more than two weeks later. (Foley, 8/23)

In other higher-education news —

CNN: Colleges And Universities Across US Halt In-Person Classes And Begin Campus Monitoring After Rising Coronavirus Cases
As colleges and universities try to settle into the fall semester, coronavirus cases continue to rise leading some institutions to cancel in-person instruction and implement strict rules to control the virus. Universities in at least 19 states have reported outbreaks, despite health protocols on campus. Many outbreaks are tied to large group gatherings like parties, leading some schools to suspend students and organizations for breaking social distancing rules on and off campus. (Vera, 8/24)

The Hill: As COVID-19 Surges On Campuses, In-Person Learning Becomes Less Of A Reality 
Colleges and universities are already shifting from in-person instruction to online classes after hundreds of students on campuses across the country tested positive for COVID-19, throwing cold water on hopes for the fall semester. In the past week, big-name schools such as Notre Dame, Michigan State and University of North Carolina have moved classes online after briefly resuming in-person instruction, and other universities are likely to do the same in the coming weeks as the explosion of cases continues. (Hellmann, 8/23)

Kaiser Health News: One College’s Pop-Up COVID Test: Stop And ‘Smell The Roses’ (Or The Coffee)
If all goes according to plan, Penn State University students who opt for an on-campus experience this fall will start in-person classes on Aug. 24 under the banner of a “Mask Up or Pack Up” campaign. By returning to campus, students are agreeing to wear masks, adhere to social distancing practices and submit to random testing for COVID-19. But “Mask Up or Pack Up” also offers a less traditional, more proactive approach to virus containment: the smell test. (Bauer, 8/24)

CNN: Notre Dame Responds To Student Newspaper's Plea Regarding Covid-19 
After an editorial in a student newspaper last week pleaded with leaders at Notre Dame to not "make us write obituaries," the university said it agreed with the students' concern about the spread of Covid-19 in the community. "Students, faculty and staff are all in this together, and it's only by working together that we can stay safe and continue to stay on campus for the remainder of the semester," said university spokesman Dennis K. Brown in a statement to CNN. (Waldrop and Asmelash, 8/23)

AP: Virginia Commonwealth University Reports 58 COVID-19 Cases
Virginia Commonwealth University is reporting 58 active cases of coronavirus among students and 12 employee cases .The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that’s an increase from earlier this week when VCU reported 25 cases and 11 employees cases. (8/23)

AP: Some Arkansas Universities To Report Their COVID-19 Cases
Some of Arkansas’ public universities have said they will make public information about coronavirus cases on their campuses. While the Arkansas Department of Health has daily reports on COVID-19 virus cases at long-term-care facilities and correctional institutions, no such report exists for Arkansas’ residential colleges, though all colleges are required to report cases to the department. (8/23)

AP: ECU And UNC Charlotte Move Classes Online
East Carolina University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte are moving courses online in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the universities announced Sunday. Separately, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Sunday it has identified a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Avery residence hall. A cluster is defined by the state health department as five or more cases in a single residential hall or dwelling. (8/23)