All News>Reopening schools could spread COVID-19 even faster | The European Sting
Reopening schools could spread COVID-19 even faster | The European Sting
Health & PsychologyNews |
Aug 18 2020
If primary and secondary schools are opened too early, the spread of COVID-19 could worsen – especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). CEGA affiliated professor David Lagakos co-authors an article for The European Sting and the World Economic Forum, describing a new study showing that delaying school reopenings could save lives.
“According to the latest UNESCO figures, over 100 countries are currently implementing nationwide school closures due to COVID-19, affecting over 60% of the world’s enrolled students. The topic of reopening primary and secondary schools has been heavily politicised in many countries with parents, teachers, and politicians sometimes at odds over when to reopen. Policy decisions are even more challenging given the lack of evidence, especially from developing countries, on how susceptible children are to contracting COVID-19 and transmitting the virus to adults and how to make schools safe enough for students to return.
What is the World Economic Forum doing to manage emerging risks from COVID-19?
The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.
As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.
To help all stakeholders – communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications – a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forum’s annual Global Risks Report.”
