Name: Missouri governor’s comments on kids and COVID-19 stoke firestorm of criticism on social media
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Missouri governor’s comments on kids and COVID-19 stoke firestorm of criticism on social media

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Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisMissouri governor’s comments on kids and COVID-19 stoke firestorm of criticism on social mediaShare thisST. LOUIS — Gov. Mike Parson’s comment on a radio show expressing his belief that children should return to school this fall even though they will inevitably become infected with the coronavirus drew broad condemnation on Monday. quoting the governor and linking to a story about his controversial comments was retweeted 50,000 times by 9:30 p.m. on Monday, with more than 35,000 comments. Many of the harshest comments came from prominent Democrats. But they also came from Hollywood icons, writers, professors, podcasters and social media figures. And, it appeared, many and .Parson’s comment came as Missouri sees a spike in cases of COVID-19 and as school districts begin releasing their plans for reopening this fall.In an interview on Friday with talk-radio host , Parson indicated both certainty and acceptance that the coronavirus will spread among children when they return to school.“These kids have got to get back to school,” Parson told Cox. “They’re at the lowest risk possible. And if they do get COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to school — they’re not going to the hospitals. They’re not going to have to sit in doctor’s offices. They’re going to go home, and they’re going to get over it.”Of 121,374 people in the United States that had died from COVID-19 by July 11, 31 were younger than 15, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The national death toll on Monday was 140,157.)In late June, the nation’s in favor of having children return to classrooms to provide them with instruction, social and emotional skills, safety, nutrition and exercise. But the statement also acknowledged the health risk to adults and expressed that the health of children, adolescents, their families and the community was paramount.Parson’s campaign manager, Steele Shippy, that the governor “very clearly believes that kids going back to school is important. It is important for their education, it is important for their development, and it is important for the mental health of them and their family.”He , “The SCIENCE which democrats constantly harp on about says that kids are not at risk. That is simply a fact … he is following the science.”However, not much is known about how easily children can catch and spread the virus to people who could get sick, or die. And there is “no definitive evidence about what suite of strategies is most effective for limiting transmission within a school setting,” according to a report issued last week by the .The report found that staffing schools is likely to be a challenge. “A significant portion of school staff are in high-risk age groups or are hesitant to return to in-person schooling because of health risks.” And some strategies for limiting transmission of the virus within schools, maintaining smaller class sizes and delivering in-person and virtual learning, will require additional instructional staff, the report found.The report acknowledged that poor-quality school buildings that have bad indoor air quality or inadequate bathroom facilities will complicate reopening and that poor families will suffer disproportionately.Those who expressed alarm at Parson’s comment included former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, Chelsea Clinton, former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.to her 553,000 followers: “They are going to go home and infect their families. Smh.”Warren, who has 4.4 million followers, of “willfully endangering our kids — and entire communities — for political gain. Forcing schools to reopen without providing them with the resources they need to do so safely is reckless, dangerous, and the last thing we should do.”that if Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, “actually cared about getting kids back to school next month, they would be doing everything possible to crush #covid19 transmission today … some kids don’t ‘get over it,’ some get very, very sick, and some die.”that the most recent large-scale study shows children between 10 and 19 transmit the coronavirus just like adults. “That means teachers, parents and grandparents will get infected. Some will go to the hospital and some will die. Get the problem?”And Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist at Harvard University, with 240,000 Twitter followers, tweeted that Parson had made a “HORRIFIC statement that is willful endangerment. Us epidemiologists are close to vomiting blood just hearing this.”: “Dear all nieces &amp; nephews, minus a vaccine, see ya at, like, ur weddings. Xo, Aunt Kat. Ps. Please don’t kill ur parents or mine.”: “Kids won’t just ‘get over it’ — they’ll SPREAD it first — to their parents. And if their parents returned to work — to coworkers. Not to mention grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Especially since symptoms among young children aren’t very obvious.”The comments caught the attention of Reinhard Bütikofer, a German politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2009. He : “Unbe-(expletive)-lievable.”Others criticizing the governor included religious scholar and writer Reza Aslan, journalists Jamele Hill and Yashar Ali, the Pod Save America podcast, and even figures best known by members of Generation Z, , which summed up Parson’s attitude for its 387,000 followers as “Just get over it, bro.”The internet personality ExtendoBans, who has nearly 400,000 Twitter followers and 1.2 million on Instagram, had : “WHAT.”On Monday, Parson said at a media briefing in Kansas City that his comments were taken “out of context.”The governor also said he cares “deeply” about the virus being in schools, but “I also think it’s very important as public officials that you speak the truth about that,” .Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisMissouri governor’s comments on kids and COVID-19 stoke firestorm of criticism on social mediaShare thisST. LOUIS — Gov. Mike Parson’s comment on a radio show expressing his belief that children should return to school...

Missouri governor’s comments on kids and COVID-19 stoke firestorm of criticism on social media

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