CDC delays new school-reopening guidance prompted by flak from Trump

Enlarge / WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 08: US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the US Department of Education July 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty | Alex Wong)

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not release new guidance documents on school reopening this week, contrary to recent comments from officials in the Trump administration.

A CDC spokesperson told NPR in an exclusive that new documents would instead be published sometime before the end of the month. The delay comes amid fierce nationwide debate about schools reopening and how it can be done safely.

Vice President Mike Pence announced July 8 that the agency would release new documents this week that would better guide schools in their efforts to safely reopen classrooms shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic-which is still engulfing much of the US. That announcement came just hours after President Trump blasted the CDC's current recommendations in a series of tweets, calling them very tough & expensive." He also threatened to cut funding from schools that do not open before the November election.

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