Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

Every discussion or debate around COVID-19 has become protracted, political, and bitter, and what to do about schools is no exception. Indeed schools present a tradeoff. When they're open, society benefits from the essential services schools provide: education, child abuse reporting, hot meals, and socio-emotional development. Closing them may theoretically slow viral spread. How should a society decide? Vinay Prasad, M.D. and M.P.H., a practicing hematologist-oncologist and associate professor in the department of epidemiology and bio-statistics at the University of California San Francisco, will make the case that unless the local healthcare system is approaching overload or collapse, schools should remain open.