PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED RIGHT NOW.
>> ALL RIGHT.
DOMINIC, THANK YOU.
>>> AND BACK NOW TO THE EFFORT
TO REOPEN SCHOOLS.
HERE IS VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA
HARRIS IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
LAST HOUR ON THE TODAY SHOW.
>> CAN YOU REASSURE TEACHERS
THAT ARE LISTENING RIGHT NOW
THAT IT IS SAFE TO GO BACK TO
SCHOOL IF THESE MEASURES LIKE
DISTANCING AND MASKS ARE BEING
IMPLEMENTED.
>> FIRST OF ALL, TEACHERS SHOULD
BE A PRIORITY.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
I LOVE TEACHERS.
MY FIRST GRADE TEACHER ATTENDED
MY LAW SCHOOL GRADUATION.
TEACHERS ARE CRITICAL TO OUR
PARENTS DEVELOPMENT.
THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO TEACH IN
A SAFE PLACE AND EXPAND THE
MINDS OF OUR CHILDREN.
THEY SHOULD BE A PRIORITY ALONG
WITH OTHER FRONT LINE WORKERS,
AND WE WILL MAKE THEM A
PRIORITY.
>> LET’S BRING IN DR. EZEKIEL.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE FORMER
OBAMA ADVISER FOR WHITE HOUSE
POLICY.
HE’S FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA AND A SENIOR
MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR.
THAT’S ALL WE HAVE TIME FOR.
>> ZEKE!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
WE DIDN’T GET THE END OF THAT
ANSWER, SO I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY
HOW SHE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION.
WE DID HEAR ABOUT HER FIRST
GRADE TEACHER, WHICH IS GREAT.
BUT I’M GOING TO ASK YOU THAT
QUESTION.
SOCIAL DISTANCING WITH MASKS, IS
IT SAFE FOR TEACHERS, EVEN IF
THEY WEREN’T VACCINATED, TO GO
IN AND TEACH CLASSES FOR K
THROUGH 8 CLASSES?
>> WELL, ALL THE DATA WE HAVE
SUGGESTS THAT SCHOOLS ARE SAFER
THAN BEING OUT IN THE PUBLIC AND
BEING AT HOME.
AND, SO, IT STANDS TO REASON.
THEY’RE REGULATED ENVIRONMENTS.
PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, REQUIRED
TO WEAR MASKS, REQUIRED TO BE
SOCIALLY DISTANCED, REQUIRED TO
WASH THEIR HANDS.
EVEN IF IT’S NOT PERFECT, IT IS
BETTER THAN OUTSIDE WHERE IT IS
LESS REGULATED AND THE RULES ARE
LESS ENFORCED.
THE DATA SHOWS OVERWHELMINGLY
THAT SCHOOLS ARE SAFER IN TERMS
OF LOW TRANSMISSION.
THERE IS GOOD STUDIES OUT OF
NORTH CAROLINA AND OTHER PLACES
THAT YOU CAN KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN
AND YOU CAN KEEP THE INFECTION
RATE DOWN.
NOW, IF THE VIRUS IS RAGING, YOU
KNOW, THEN YOU WANT TO PAUSE.
BUT IN MANY, MANY PLACES IN THIS
COUNTRY WHERE WE HAVE LOW
NUMBERS OF CASES PER HUNDRED
THOUSAND, OREGON, WASHINGTON,
NORTH DAKOTA, YES, YOU CAN OPEN
SCHOOLS AND, YES, YOU SHOULD
OPEN SCHOOLS BECAUSE THE RISKS
ARE LOWER AND THE BENEFITS TO
STUDENTS ARE ENORMOUS IN TERMS
OF MENTAL HEALTH, FOOD AND ALL
THE OTHER THINGS WE TALK ABOUT.
>> DR. EMANUEL, EVERYTHING YOU
SAID IS TRUE.
AND WE’VE SEEN THAT IN NEW YORK
CITY.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
WE WANT THE TEACHERS TO BE IN
THERE SAFELY.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS WHY
AREN’T WE OPENING THE SCHOOLS?
AND WHY HAS THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION FOR A COUPLE OF
WEEKS NOW BEEN COUCHING THIS?
THE HEAD OF THE CDC CAME OUT AND
SAID TEACHERS DON’T NEED TO BE
VACCINATING AS LONG AS THERE IS
MASKING AND DISTANCING AND ALL
THE OTHER PRECAUTIONS.
THE WHITE HOUSE WALKED THAT BACK
WITH PUSH AND PULL BEFORE THE
CDC PUT OUT ITS OFFICIAL
GUIDELINES LAST FRIDAY.
IF EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS TRUE
ABOUT THE SAFETY OF SCHOOLS, WHY
AREN’T THEY OPEN?
>> LOOK, I THINK PEOPLE ARE
NATURALLY NERVOUS.
I’M NATURALLY NERVOUS, AND I
HAVE VERY GOOD MASKS, AND I KNOW
WHAT THE RULES ARE AND I KNOW
HOW TO FIT IT.
I THINK THAT’S ALL TRUE.
I DO AGREE WITH VICE PRESIDENT
HARRIS, AND I THINK SOMETHING
SHE SAID SHOULD REALLY BE
EMPHASIZED.
WE SHOULD PUT TEACHERS AT THE
TOP OF THE NEXT TRAUNCHE OF
VACCINES.
WE’RE ROLLING OUT 1.7 MILLION
VACCINES.
YOU CAN GET THOSE MILLIONS OF
TEACHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY
VACCINATED AND TAKE THIS ALL OFF
THE TABLE AND PUT OUR CHILDREN
FIRST.
>> YEAH.
>> GETTING SCHOOLS WORKING SO