‘Schools should be the last to close’: local lawmaker advocates for rapid tests rather than K-12 closures
Jan 3, 2022, 2:35 PM
Residents line up at a drive-up distribution site to receive free at-home COVID-19 test kits (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
A surge in omicron variant COVID cases has once again prompted the question of whether or not K-12 schools should close to help mitigate the pandemic and keep students safe.
The issue has already caused universities throughout Western Washington to transfer to remote learning for their winter quarter, while Seattle Public Schools extended their winter break by a day to implement a mass-testing effort before resuming regular in person classes.
Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) is adamant that first line pandemic mitigation within schools lies with robust rapid test programs, and school closures should be avoided at all costs.
“Our schools should be the last to close and the first to open… we have the tools to keep our children generally safe,” Schrier said in a CNN appearance over the weekend.
ICYMI: I joined CNN Newsroom this weekend to talk about why schools should be the last to close, first to open, especially when we use all of the tools we have to make them generally safe places. And why it isn’t too late to increase rapid testing availability. Watch below! pic.twitter.com/SP6YhBybLP
— Rep. Kim Schrier, M.D. (@RepKimSchrier) January 3, 2022
Schrier elaborated on the different strategies that schools now have at their disposal to avoid COVID outbreaks, even as the recent iteration of the pandemic has demonstrated that it does not discriminate by age: The national average of children hospitalized by COVID-19 in the week of Dec. 21-27 increased by 58% over the week prior, according to the Center for Disease Control.
“We need to get everybody vaccinated, and [have] good ventilation and masking that will minimize the spread,” Schrier continued. “But there’s that one other thing … which is rapid testing. And if we had abundant rapid testing, we could test every child every day, and really guarantee that schools are safe.”
The congresswoman has been a vocal advocate for increasing the supply of rapid tests throughout the country, castigating the President Joe Biden administration in a Washington Post editorial for “failing at rapid testing,” even as the president announced the purchase of a half-billion tests administered country-wide, free of charge.
“Start manufacturing,” Schrier added. “Procure enough tests so that every American has multiples in their home, that they can check every couple of days. You can go to England and Germany and buy these things for less than $1 each in any supermarket or pharmacy.”
“There is significant demand, and that you really can’t rely just on the free market to do this. [The free market] stopped manufacturing when they thought they wouldn’t be needed anymore. And here we are, empty handed at a time when we need these tests more than ever.”
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