Experts Answer Questions from Children and Parents about Safe Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic and Returning to School; Olympic Gold Medalists Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez Discuss Exercising and Staying Active During COVID-19 Lockdown
HILL: Welcome back to "The ABC's of COVID-19." And speaking of ABC's, school has been a big topic for families around the country.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You know, with school closed I've been video chatting with my teacher and classmates every morning to go over what we're learning. And my granny bird has been reading to me on video chat.</s>GUPTA: Those are great ways to keep learning, Big Bird.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You know, it's been fun, but I kind of miss going to school. You know, riding the bus and having music class with my friends. When will we be able to go back to school?</s>HILL: Oh, Big Bird, that is such a great question. And it's one that we got from so many kids just like you. Take a look.</s>LENA AND LONNIE, FIVE AND THREE YEARS-OLD: If I wear a mask, wash my hands and am very careful, could I please go back to school?</s>MALIQUE, NINE YEARS-OLD, BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA: I want to learn in a classroom, and I miss playing at recess with my friends.</s>OMAR, SIX YEARS-OLD, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA: When will school go back to normal? I miss my friends. I miss my math activities. I miss my teachers. I miss my friends.</s>HILL: Well, here to help us answer these questions is Dr. Sonja Santelises. She's the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. Dr. Santelises, it's great to have you with us today, because I know you can help us understand how schools are making these decisions about the best way for kids to learn, and also when schools may reopen.</s>DR. SONJA SANTELISES, CEO, BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: So, in getting ready to return to school, we are, number one, making sure that all students and teachers are safe. So we are thinking about the way the space in the classroom needs to be different. We are thinking about how we can keep groups of students together in smaller groups. It may also look like not everybody coming to school on the same day. But I think what will be important is making sure also that students get a chance to still be with their teachers and still have the opportunity to learn.</s>GUPTA: It's going to look different, I think, no matter what. Doctor, I was really impressed with remote learning and how quickly it sort of ramped up considering most places hadn't done it. But there were a lot of challenges as well. I won't lie. What's your message to parents who were worried that their kids are falling behind as a result of remote learning? How can they keep their kids engaged?</s>SANTELISES: So, first, all parents should know that we realize this has been a challenging time for families. So, one of the things that we are looking at as educators is how do we make sure that we get the right sense of where students are in terms of how they're feeling when they come back to school, but also where their skills are. Where is their reading, their math, their science knowledge? For older students, I have three daughters, some days they are just not in the mood to do as much work at the same time. But we make sure that every day there's a little bit of work done and some of those key skills in reading and math.</s>HILL: I have to say, I see that, too, sort of taking the temperature on certain days, and sometimes you just have to let that dictate where everybody in the house goes. Kendall has a great question I think a lot of students are wondering about. Take a listen.</s>KENDALL, FIVE YEARS-OLD, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA: When I go back to school, am I going to wear a mask? When I see all my friends when I see all my friends.</s>SANTELISES: Yes, that's a great question, Kendall, and the chances are that you will have to wear a mask when you come back to school. The great part about that, though, Kendall, is other students will wear masks. And if you don't always have one when you come, we'll have one for you. So, prepare to have a mask, but I think one of the things my girls are looking forward to are all the different kinds of masks students will be wearing when they come back.</s>GUPTA: I have three daughters as well, and that has been a big topic of conversation. They're actually making their own masks already in preparation.</s>SANTELISES: That's right.</s>GUPTA: We do have another question from a child at home, Miriam, who asks how can I not be afraid of going back to school?</s>SANTELISES: I think one of the things that students should feel comfortable about is your teachers are, one, going to still be there to welcome you. That's not changing. You will still have friends there. That's not changing. And we are all working to make sure that you're safe, and that it's OK to be a little scared. I think all of us are scared from time to time, but we are working to make sure that you are as safe as possible. And I bet you when you see some of your friends even at a distance, some of that fear will go away.</s>GUPTA: Yes. I'll take this opportunity to remind people, it's important to remember that regular vaccines are part of being safe as well. A lot of people because of all that's been going on have missed those vaccines. They haven't been able to go to the doctor. So don't forget about those vaccines before you go back to school as well.</s>HILL: So important. Dr. Sonja Santelises, it's great to have you with us today. Thanks so much for helping us out.</s>SANTELISES: Thank you. Good to be there.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard that children and families all over the world are dealing with the coronavirus.</s>GUPTA: Yes. In some countries, children are starting to go back to school and life is slowly returning to normal. But in other parts, people still remain at home.</s>HILL: Let's check in with some of our friends from around the world to see how things are going.</s>DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. I'm David McKenzie in Joburg. This is an awesome city near the tip of Africa. Now, kids here wanted to show you all the cool things they're doing while they stay home and stay safe. Check out Tondo (ph). She is singing "Happy Birthday" to her nana. She makes delicious cupcakes. Sumalki (ph) is cooking, too. Sikler (ph) cleans the house while his brothers get to play video games. Oliver (ph) and Catherine (ph) like to draw. Schools here have been closed. Everyone does their school work right from their homes to keep learning. There's also time for lots of fun and exercise. My kids are always bouncing. All across South Africa want to say, hi, molo, dumela, and sanibonani to all of you.</s>OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, here at the YMCA kids are back to school with a few extra steps to make sure kids stay safe and healthy. Parents drop of their kids at the entrance and sign a form saying they don't have a fever. Kids take off their shoes to keep all the dirt and the germs outside. And then the classes are broken up to make sure it's not too many kids crowded into one area. When the kids came back, they had double reason to celebrate. It was the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr and the Jewish holiday Shavuot, and each one has its special food. For Eid al-Fitr it's Ma'amoul, a pastry with dates on the inside. And for Shavuot it's dairy, so there's lots of cheesecake to go around.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, everyone. I'm Raya here in home in India. Schools are still closed, but I was able to go outside to the park today. I practiced social distancing, but I still got to see my friend. I waved to him from across the park, and I even gave him an air five. It was great to see him. Even at a distance.</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, everybody. I'm Fred Pleitgen, and just outside of Copenhagen in the lovely Denmark. And children here are actually already going back to school, at least most of them. But as you guys know, in these times we all have to stay apart a little bit. And they had a little bit of a problem here with that in that they didn't have enough space in their schools. So what they did is they moved their lessons to the local church where they do have enough space. Learning is a bit different, but it all does work.</s>DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in China where the coronavirus outbreak began, students are finally able to start going back to school. For some of them it's been more than four months that they have been stuck at home. To keep safe and healthy, they're learning new rules. Walking into the building, they now have markings on the ground to keep a safe distance from their classmates. In between classes and before lunch, students are washing their hands many times. And when it's time to eat, notice some schools leave an empty desk in between each student. That makes it more difficult for the virus to spread. And because you cannot eat lunch with a face mask on, students have plastic folders like these to keep their masks from getting dirty while they eat. And to monitor whether or not a student has a fever, some students are wearing bracelets that alert school staff if a student's body temperature is too high.</s>MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City. And just like in the United States, things are really different here for kids these days. Schools are closed and they probably will be for a while. Playgrounds are, too. And you have to maintain a sana distancia, a healthy distance from other people even if you know them. But how do you say hi to the people that you know if you have to stay so far apart? I have two friends here Camilla (ph) e Osalin (ph) and they're going to help us come up with a way to say hi to each other while staying far apart. With their elbows just waving and blowing kisses. And that's staying far apart. And do you have a question for Dr. Gupta? So she's asking, Dr. Gupta, when will it be safe for them to return to school?</s>GUPTA: Thanks so much for that question, a big one, obviously, around the world. First of all, your teachers and your principals are going to make sure your school is safe before you return. So just remember that. But they're going to make sure that the virus, while it may still be around, that it's spreading really slowly before you go back to school.</s>HILL: My nephews live in Paris, and they get to go back to school next week, only a couple days a week. But, hey, two days is better than zero days, especially for their parents.</s>GUPTA: Hey, everybody, look. It's Rosita from Sesame Street. Hey, Rosita.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hola Dr. Sanjay. Hola, Erica.</s>HILL: Hi, Rosita. Rosita, we have a question from Rahim (ph) in Washington, D.C., and maybe you can help us answer it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What else can I do other than playing games in the house?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hola, amigo Rahim (ph). I know it can be frustrating that we can't do the things we want to do, like play with our friends outside or going to the park. But you know what, Rahim (ph), at first, I felt really, really grouchy. I felt like stuck in Oscar's trash can. But then I realized there are lots of fun, new things to do, like you can talk to your abuela on a video chat, or you can have a letter scavenger hunt around the house. Or, you can have a dancing party with your friends -- cha cha.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or you know what, today I'm learning how to bake cookies with my pappi. See, there are so many fun things you can do at home.</s>GUPTA: Yes, you've given me some good ideas there, Rosita. It is important to stay active during this time for everybody. And it's also a good idea to keep practicing a sport or a hobby that you love.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But how, Dr. Sanjay? I can't go to the soccer field and play soccer.</s>GUPTA: That's right. But you could practice juggling your soccer ball skills, for example, in your yard or in your garage. There's all sorts of different ways to just stay active and practice at the same time.</s>HILL: We could give some advice from experts who know just how to do this, Olympic Gold Medalist Gymnasts Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. It's so great to have you both with us.</s>GUPTA: Welcome.</s>HILL: This is such a challenging time for kids and for adults. So Simone, how have you been staying active and training?</s>SIMONE BILES, U.S. OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Yes. So, our gym just opened up two weeks ago after having two months off, so we're trying to get back into the swing of things. It wasn't easy, but before that, we had to do Zoom workouts.</s>HILL: Zoom workouts. That certainly changes things. Laurie, speaking of workouts, we actually have some video of you and your new coach, I guess we'll say, trying to do a beam routine on the rug.</s>LAURIE HERNANDEZ, U.S. OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Yes. When the lockdown hit, I was trying to run some skills on my rug, but at some point, my dog just kept getting in the way. I was cool with it, though.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. Your dog looks like a very good coach.</s>HERNANDEZ: She's great, yes. It's great.</s>GUPTA: A lot of kids are missing big events -- birthdays, graduations, summer camps. You guys missed a big event as well. How did you feel when you found out that the summer Olympics in Tokyo were going to be postponed?</s>HERNANDEZ: I think, honestly, every athlete will probably agree it was a good choice to at least delay it and make sure that the world's health comes first. That's the most important part, that everybody is safe and we're keeping everybody healthy. But also I think it was kind of tough. It was like getting the rug swept out underneath you. Nobody was really expecting anything that happened this year to happen. So we're all just hanging in there and trying to make the best of it that we can.</s>GUPTA: Same with you, Simone?</s>BILES: Yes. Just trying to stay positive and letting kids know that we're all in this together, and to keep your head up.</s>HILL: Such good advice. What other advice do you have? A lot of people are adjusting to new habits and new routines these days. Laurie, do you have any advice for kids trying to adjust?</s>HERNANDEZ: I think kind of bouncing off what Simone said, just trying to stay positive. I know that right now everything feels like it's upside down. So finding things that make you feel good or make you happy, whether that's working out or trying to learn how to cook, watching your favorite TV shows, music, connecting with your friends, whenever that might be. Just try to do things that make you happy, because right now it feels a little scary, but I think also making sure that you connect with your friends is really important.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Those are very good advice. And I have a question, Miss Laurie and Miss Simone, if you please help me. Do you think I can learn to flip, flip and jump like you?</s>BILES: Yes, of course.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, good. Good, good. I really want to start right now.</s>HILL: This has been such a treat. Laurie and Simone, thank you both so much for joining us and for your great advice today.</s>GUPTA: Thank you.</s>BILES: You're welcome. Thank you, guys.</s>GUPTA: Our town hall is coming to a close. We would like to thank all of our experts for their thoughtful advice today.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And I would like to thank everybody that sent in their questions. I learned a lot.</s>HILL: I did, too. Thanks so much to everyone. Bye.</s>GUPTA: Bye.</s>HERNANDEZ: Bye, bye.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye, bye, everybody. Elmo loves you.