Many states are closing schools in response to COVID-19, but where is it really spread?

With COVID-19 cases surging throughout the country, many states are beginning to enforce stricter guidelines to prevent further spreading of the virus. Even Kansas City issued a new set of guidelines on Monday the 16. While many establishments such as restaurants are being required to close down, whether or not schools should remain open has been a subject of debate, particularly in New York, where cases have risen drastically. As a result, New York public schools have closed. But are schools really responsible for spreading COVID, or are other gatherings to blame?

According to Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, “Bars, restaurants, gyms, house parties, that’s where it’s coming from, primarily.” Yet schools were closed before restaurants. While it may not remain that way, it is important to realize how much schools and restaurants affect the spread of COVID.

More and more evidence suggests that schools contribute much less to the spread of the virus than restaurants do. With this in mind, many European countries have been prioritizing the opening of schools over businesses and restaurants. While closing schools and moving to online learning often has adverse effects on children’s’ education, there are serious concerns about closing restaurants as well.

Restaurants being forced to shut down won’t just mean people can’t eat out; it means those restaurants may go out of business, along with the jobs of the people who work there. Many restaurants are floundering already, and a forced shutdown without extensive federal funding will mean that many will never open their doors again. Andrew Rigie, director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance has said that, “Any call for limiting restaurant operations must be coupled with a call to provide stimulus, otherwise they are not going to be around when it’s OK for them to reopen.”

With valid concerns on both sides, the debate on whether to close restaurants or schools has no clear winner. But, with coronavirus cases on the rise, many difficult decisions such as these will continue to present themselves.