U.S. President Donald Trump has urged universities to keep reopening their campuses in spite
of reports of COVID-19 cluster outbreaks among students across the countr
“The virus is very dangerous for older people, “but for university students the likelihood of
severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal flu,” Trump was quoted by CNBC
as saying.
However, some universities are rethinking their plans to reopen for the fall semester after
several outbreaks emerged shortly after students returned to campus.
The universities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of
Notre Dame, and Michigan State University, have decided in succession to halt the majority of
in-person classes for the fall.
“Instead of saving lives, the decision to close universities could cost lives.
“It is significantly safer for students to live with other young people than to go home and
spread the virus to older Americans,” Trump said.
Leading experts said that factors including high COVID-19 infections among adults,
increasing gatherings among teenagers and returning to school during the pandemic, might
be contributing to the high infection rate. (Xinhua/NAN)
