>>> JOINING ME IS THE AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, RANDI
WEINGARTEN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
I WANT TO PICK UP ON WHERE DR.
FAUCI WAS SAYING IN ADDITION TO
WHAT OUR NBC NEWS STUDY SHOWS.
IN ADDITION TO HIGHER LEVELS OF
STRESS, REMOTE STUDENTS HAVE TO
SPEND AS MUCH AS AN ADDITIONAL
90 MINUTES ON SCHOOL WORK EVERY
WEEK COMPARED TO THOSE IN THEIR
PEERS AND TO THE POINT THAT DR.
FAUCI WAS RAISING WHICH IS ITS
RISK VERSUS BENEFIT.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE LATEST CDC
GUIDELINES APPROPRIATELY BALANCE
THE THREAT OF CORONAVIRUS
TRANSMISSION AGAINST THE ONGOING
TOLL FOR STUDENTS LEARNING
REMOTELY?
>> SO LOOK, ALL OF THE RISKS
WHEN YOU -- FIRST OFF, I BELIEVE IN THE NEW CDC GUIDELINES.
IN THE NEW CDC GUIDELINES.
I THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE
HAD HAD GUIDELINES LIKE THIS
BACKED BY RESOURCES -- SORRY, IF
WE HAD GUIDELINES BACKED BY
RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN
DONALD TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT AND
BETSY DeVOS WAS SECRETARY OF
EDUCATION AND ROBERT REDFIELD
WAS IN THE CDC AND THEY PUT THEM
OUT LIKE MICHELLE WALENSKY JUST
DID AND THEN YOU HAD THE
RESOURCES THAT JOE BIDEN IS
TRYING TO GET TO, I THINK WED
BE IN A REALLY DIFFERENT
SITUATION.
WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS
KIND OF ROAD MAP FOR MONTHS AND
MONTHS AND IN FACT, THE AFT
ACTUALLY PUT OUR OWN ROAD MAP
OUT TO HOW TO REOPEN LAST APRIL
THAT HAD A LOT OF THESE
ESSENTIAL QUALITIES TO THEM.
SO LETS JUST SAY THAT THIS ROAD
MAP IS SCIENTIFICALLY BASED.
ITS REALLY IMPORTANT, ITS
VERY -- ITS VERY MUCH SOMETHING
THAT ONE CAN BUILD ON.
HAVING SAID THAT --
>> SORRY, TO BE CLEAR, WOULD YOU
SUPPORT THE TEACHERS GOING BACK
TO SCHOOL WITHOUT A VACCINATION?
>> SO WE HAVE SUPPORTED THE
TEACHERS BEING A PRIORITY,
KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IT WAS
NOT A PREREQUISITE.
WE KNEW FROM DECEMBER THAT IT
WAS NOT GOING TO BE A
PREREQUISITE.
JUST LIKE IT WASNT FOR HEALTH
CARE.
WHAT THE REASON FOR THE VACCINE
IS THAT THE VACCINE AS WE
UNDERSTAND IT DOESNT ACTUALLY
PREVENT TRANSMISSION.
WHAT THE VACCINE DOES IS IT
PREVENTS YOU FROM GETTING SUPER
SICK AND SO ULTIMATELY, WE WERE
PLEASED THAT THE CDC SAID THAT
WE SHOULD BE A PRIORITY.
THE PROBLEM IS THERES SO MANY
PLACES WHERE WERE NOT.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE MAYOR OF
MIAMI TODAY -- THE MAYOR OF D.C.
TODAY IS MAKING SURE THAT EVERY
SINGLE TEACHER WHO IS BACK IN
SCHOOL HAS ACCESS TO HER SECOND
SHOT.
WHY ISNT THE GOVERNOR IN
FLORIDA DOING THE SAME THING?
WHY ISNT THE GOVERNOR IN OHIO
DOING THE SAME THING?
THE GOVERNOR IN WEST VIRGINIA IS
DOING THAT.
SO PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THE
CDC SAID WE SHOULD BE A PRIORITY, BUT MANY GOVERNORS
PRIORITY, BUT MANY GOVERNORS
HAVE NOTT GUIDANCE.
>> THE CDC GUIDELINES I WANT TO
BE HERE.
THE CDC GUIDELINES THEY DONT
REQUIRE ALL EDUCATORS TO BE
VACCINATED BEFORE SCHOOLS
REOPEN.
MANY TEACHERS THOUGH AS YOU KNOW
WANT THAT AS A PREREQUISITE.
LET ME READ FOR YOU A PART FROM
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN
NEWSOM.
HE SAID, IF EVERYBODY HAS TO BE
VACCINATED, WE MIGHT AS WELL
JUST TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH.
THERE WILL BE NO IN-PERSON
INSTRUCTION IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA IS HE RIGHT?
IS THIS SETTING AN IMPOSSIBLE
STANDARD?
>> WELL, LETS NOT -- BUT FIRST
OFF, THATS NOT WHAT THE CDC
SAID.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND THERES A BIG -- LETS
TAKE CALIFORNIA FOR A SECOND.
TAKE L.A. FOR A SECOND.
L.A. IS IN A SUPER, SUPER, PAST
A RED ZONE INTO THE PURPLE ZONE.
IN ORDER TO HAVE IN-PERSON
INSTRUCTION AND HAVE EVERY
TEACHER OR EDUCATOR VACCINATED
YOU WOULD HAVE TO VACCINATE
25,000 EDUCATORS RIGHT NOW.
IN NEW YORK CITY, WE HAVE
ALREADY VACCINATED 15,000
EDUCATORS.
SO THE FACT IS THAT THE GOVERNOR
OF CALIFORNIA JUST DOESNT WANT
TO MAKE VACCINATION FOR TEACHERS
A PRIORITY.
BUT THATS WHAT HES ESSENTIALLY
SAYING IN THAT POLITICO ARTICLE.
ULTIMATELY IF YOU ACTUALLY ALIGN
VACCINATIONS WITH PEOPLE GOING
BACK IN PERSON, YOURE NOT
TALKING ABOUT 3 MILLION
EDUCATORS THAT ARE GETTING
VACCINATED.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A SMALLER
PERCENTAGE AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO DO THAT IN LOS ANGELES.
MY POINT IS THIS.
THE CDC GUIDELINES DONT REQUIRE
IT BECAUSE WHAT THE CDC
GUIDELINES SAY IS THAT THE
MITIGATION STRATEGIES ARE TO
PREVENT TRANSMISSION.
VACCINES PREVENT YOU FROM
GETTING REALLY SICK.
SHOULD WE DO BOTH?
OF COURSE WE SHOULD DO BOTH BUT
IF YOU CANT RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE
TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION -- YOU
HAVE TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION
BECAUSE AS YOU SAID EARLIER, THE
REASON WE ARE WORKING SO HARD TO
TRY TO GET SCHOOLS REOPENED IN
PERSON IS BECAUSE THATS WHAT
HELPS KIDS.
ULTIMATELY, ALL THE RISK IS ON
THE ADULTS WHO ARE DOING THE
EDUCATION.
THATS WHY WERE TRYING MAKE
SURE THAT THINGS ARE SAFE.