Everyone is familiar with the joke about the drunk looking for his keys under the streetlight, because that is where the light is best, even though he dropped his keys elsewhere. I feel there is something similar going on with the notion that closing schools will somehow affect the spread of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County.
How many of the current cases are in the schools vs. outside the schools? Can anyone point to any evidence that having schools open leads to a higher level of community spread, either locally or in general? Or that closing the schools has a meaningful effect on decreasing the spread?
Public health involves more than just coronavirus; depression, anxiety and drug use are also relevant factors, and closing the schools puts a lot of stress on students, parents and teachers, potentially exacerbating these problems. Not to mention the negative effects on students’ education.
Absent clear and compelling evidence that closing schools will significantly decrease the spread of the virus, the schools should stay open.
Michael Sierk
Greensburg