After Being Killed By Trump White House, CDC Guidelines For Reopening Published In Pared-Down Form

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted six one-page “decision tool” documents on Thursday, offering more detailed guidance for schools, businesses and other organizations reopening from coronavirus shutdowns after the Trump White House had killed more comprehensive ones.

Restaurants and bars are told to encourage social distancing, monitor employees’ health, promote healthy hygiene and mask-wearing for employees “as feasible.” Child care programs were told to screen children for symptoms and history of exposure, limit toy sharing and intensify cleaning protocol. The guidance for schools recommended similar tactics but noted the need for schools to be flexible in accommodating student absences.

The CDC had also created guidance specific to places of worship but chose not to publish it alongside the other decision flowcharts.

The publication of the guidance comes more than a month after it was shelved by the Trump administration, according to an Associated Press investigation. Additional, more in-depth guidance that the CDC prepared has still not been released.

While much of the advice in the longer report, which was obtained by AP, is available online, it has not been offered in the context of a recommendation. Other specific guidance, like restaurants utilizing apps instead of buzzers has not been published by the agency.

The documents published this week use some weaker wording than the older version. The new guidance which recommends checking symptoms and mask-wearing “as feasible” initially did not include the “as feasible.”

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Article by Katherine Huggins