PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Even with coronavirus case counts rising, the city's health commissioner is backing the school district’s plan for children to return to in-person classes at the end of this month.
The risk in sending children back into school buildings is not zero, said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. But Farley said if students wear masks and maintain social distance it’s a risk worth taking.
“Currently we acknowledge that there is some risk in schools, but we believe that risk can be minimized with the correct safety precautions," Farley said. "And we do think that the value of in-person education, especially for young children, is so important that it justifies doing that."
Farley made his comments at an online press briefing Thursday with Schools Superintendent William Hite. The School District of Philadelphia is still planning for students in levels from pre-K through second grade to return to in-person instruction two days a week starting Nov. 30, if they opt in. Hite says about a third of 32,000 eligible students have chosen to return to hybrid classes in school buildings.
With case counts growing, Farley said he may recommend all-virtual classes at some point, but that point is not now. Farley said that in the eight months of the pandemic, no Philadelphia children have died from the virus -- but seven have died from gun violence.