Trump pushes universities to continue reopening amid a string of campus coronavirus outbreaks
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.
Jim Lo Scalzo | EPA | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump urged universities to continue reopening their campuses on Wednesday, even as some institutions across the country report clusters of coronavirus outbreaks among their students.
“We have learned one thing, there’s nothing like campus there’s nothing like being with a teacher as opposed to being on a computer board,” Trump said during a White House press briefing. “The iPads are wonderful but you’re not going to learn the same way as being there.”
The president’s remarks come as some universities have reported hundreds of Covid-19 cases as students return to campus for the fall semester. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was forced to cancel in-person undergraduate classes on Monday after more than 100 people tested positive.
“For older people and individuals with underlying conditions, the China virus is very dangerous,” Trump said, using a racist slur to describe Covid-19. “But for university students the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal flu.”
This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.
