Cal State Long Beach Halts In-Person Classes And Locks Down Campus After Positive COVID-19 Tests
WHITFIELD: California State University Long Beach is now quarantining all on-campus residents and pausing in-person classes for two weeks. The school forced to make the move after several students ignored the school's guidance and gathered for an off-campus social gathering. Five of those students then tested positive for coronavirus. Joining me right now to discuss is California's Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Doctor, good to see you.</s>DR. NADINE BURKE HARRIS, CALIFORNIA SURGEON GENERAL: Good to be with you.</s>WHITFIELD: So, your state's health department is predicting that there will be an 89 percent increase in coronavirus hospitalizations over the next month and several school districts across the nation will continue to open for in-person learning in the coming weeks. So based on the data you have seen from K-12 schools that have already opened for in-person learning, should parents feel comfortable sending their kids back to the classroom in-person learning?</s>HARRIS: Well, the schools that are opening are really going to be based on public health guidance. And so the key thing is to make sure that kids have the resources that they need to be safe if they're going back to in-person learning. So we still got to do all of those the things in terms of social distancing, good hand washing, minimizing mixing and, of course, wearing masks.</s>WHITFIELD: And, of course, there's the sanitizing of the schools. I mean, that's going to be very difficult too, especially so many districts are looking at budget cuts. So, you know, there's a lot riding on that formula. How worried or concerned should anyone be?</s>HARRIS: Well, I will say that for myself as a mom of four kids, right, I think that we really are following the public health guidance around how we can get back to reopening as much as possible but as safely as possible. And this is really based on guidelines to ensure that we can be as safe as possible in getting our kids back to school.</s>WHITFIELD: Something else that is a big concern, family welfare experts have been telling CNN that the U.S. education department is not doing enough to help teachers identify signs of child abuse in virtual teaching. This after several states reported alarming drops in reports of child abuse and neglect in the early months of this pandemic. So how should the Department of Education help teachers identify children or families in trouble?</s>HARRIS: Yes. Well, this is certainly a big concern. We have seen a drop in reports of child maltreatment and we know that child maltreatment isn't going away, it's just not being reported. And I think there are a number of trainings to help educators learn about how to recognize the signs of child maltreatment when they're seeing it. And it is tough for educators because they're not in person in the same way but there are signs that educators can look for, and that's really important.</s>WHITFIELD: Right. And it's tough for educators and so many teachers because they're already taxed as it is. I mean, they're having to do a lot more than they were accustomed to making all kinds of adjustments and it's been hard for a lot of our educators and families, of course. So, California's fight against coronavirus is being exacerbated also by these wildfires. Thousands of firefighters are battling 25 major wildfires across California right now, so over 3.6 million acres have already burned. How does the stress associated with the constant threat of wildfires now contribute to the secondary impacts of this pandemic?</s>HARRIS: Yes. Well, what we are seeing is that -- it's a rough time. Folks are dealing with the wildfires, the pandemic, and we know that some of the things that we do to relieve stress, things like exercise and being out in nature are made more difficult when we have smoke from wildfires. One of the things that's important -- really important to realize is that the climate change isn't just an environmental issue, it's also a health issue that something that a lot of Californians are feeling right now as we're dealing with issues of air quality. It really impacts kind of our day-to-day quality of life. And so as we are looking at the combined effects of not only the pandemic and the wildfires but also all of the issues of racial justice that are happening right now, it is a time of heightened stress. I think everyone is feeling that. And some of the things that we can do are things like good exercise, nutrition and connecting with folks that we trust.</s>WHITFIELD: At a distance. I mean, there's that, right? And you talk about exercise. Okay, but then you have got to be careful about going outside. I mean, it's just -- everyone is challenged on so many different levels and you have to make critical decisions for survival. Let's talk about this recent study as well done by researchers at Stanford University showing that smoke from the wildfires may have already caused over 1,000 deaths. Is it possible that this many deaths could be tracked to this back to this kind of smoke inhalation or perhaps even the stresses that come with in these wildfires?</s>HARRIS: Well, what we see is that smoke is for -- of greater risk for individuals who already have underlying health conditions, like cardiovascular disease or asthma or chronic lung disease and it can certainly worsen those conditions. Interestingly, stress can also worsen all of those conditions, right, cardiovascular disease. And so the combination certainly is impacting lives. And it's important to recognize that we all take those preventive measures to ensure that we can be as healthy as possible, even during this time.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Well, I love your optimism. Thank you so much, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Good to see you. Thank you.</s>HARRIS: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, President Trump's Supreme Court pick could impact millions of Americans for decades to come. So what does it mean for the future of women's rights? I'll talk live with Lilly Ledbetter, who brought her fight for equal pay to the nation's highest court.