The Trump administration is considering blocking American citizens and permanent residents from reentering the U.S. if they are suspected of having COVID-19. Critics say the proposed rule is part of Trump’s ongoing effort to seal the U.S.’s southern border with Mexico.
Meanwhile, as discussions over a new coronavirus bill continue to stall in Capitol Hill, governors across the country expressed frustration Monday with President Trump’s order for states to cover 25% of the cost of enhanced unemployment benefits, as states are already reeling from shortages in revenue due to the pandemic.
More evidence is emerging of a rise in infections among children. A new report found that pediatric cases are up 90% from last month. President Trump dismissed recent reports yesterday, insisting again that it is safe to open schools because children are much less affected by the virus.
President Donald Trump: “They don’t get very sick. And according to the people that I’ve spoken to, they don’t transport it or transfer it to other people, or certainly not very easily. So, yeah, I think schools have to open. We want to get our economy going.”
During Trump’s press conference Monday night, he was briefly interrupted and evacuated after the Secret Service shot a suspect outside the White House. The Secret Service said the White House was not breached and the man was sent to a hospital.
In other education news, over 500 people from a Georgia school district have been placed in quarantine due to COVID-19 since school started last week. Last week, the Bureau of Indian Education, which is part of the Interior Department, announced that it would reopen 53 in-person schools across 10 states on September 16.