Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed the coronavirus “doesn’t seem to threaten” kids at an educational roundtable Thursday where he left open the possibility of reopening schools in May, according to reports.
The governor also erroneously told teachers and parents that nobody under the age of 25 has died from the virus in the United States, according to CNN.
“This particular pandemic is one where I don’t think nationwide there’s been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids,” DeSantis said, according to the outlet.
While adults do make up the majority of confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and infants have been infected.
Children known to be infected with the bug have generally shown milder symptoms than adults, federal health officials say. But kids, like adults, can unwittingly carry and spread the disease.
As of Thursday, four patients in the US under 25 have died from the virus, according to the CDC.
DeSantis on Thursday said he will look at the “evidence” before making a decision on whether or not to reopen schools, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“If it’s safe we want kids to be in school,” DeSantis said, according to the paper. “Even if it’s for a couple of weeks, we think there would be value in that.”
