Coronavirus outbreaks have spread 34% more than before among Florida children a month after being forced to re-open. Volunteers throughout Florida are making their own school-related COVID boards. Many parents are unsure if the virus outbreaks are from their children’s school due to some counties being ordered to keep their health data hidden. It was also up to the districts to decide on the rule of wearing masks while in school and many do not require it. The governor has been pushing hard lately on re-opening and has set deadlines. 

Schools began opening in early August. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties have been permitted to stay online as they are large districts and have very high rates of  coronavirus infections. Around half of the 4,500 public schools had students learning inside the building .Since August 10, around 1,210 students and staff have been sent home due to exposure to the corona outbreak. Around half of 2.8 million students grades K-12 have switched to in-person learning.

Despite the Covid-19 spikes, the schools must fully open in the fall. This is going to bring the cases up significantly considering the fact that children ages 10-19 can spread the virus just the same as adults can, especially with all of the current case data and the districts being able to decide on the requirements of wearing masks. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention stated that household spreading was high between these ages. With that being said, a student could easily bring the virus back home after a day of being in a classroom with multiple other students. 

On top of the fact that districts decide separately on their mask rules, many parents don’t mask their children because they believe that it is a hoax or not as harmful as people are saying. A lot of children are asthmatic  or special needs; even the smallest  fevers or illnesses can very easily kill them or have them hospitalized. Additionally, overweight children are uniquely vulnerable. It is very difficult for kids to stay safe due to people’s carelessness.

Children still need an education and many parents are taking risks just to make sure their children are learning. Not all children have the access to nor the  ability to sit in front of a screen all day. If adults take precautions and make sure their children are wearing masks, the exposure and hospitalization rates would decline greatly.