WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris stressed Wednesday that teachers should be prioritized for Covid-19 vaccinations, but wouldn’t say if she believed those vaccinations should be a prerequisite for reopening schools.
In her first one-on-one live network interview since taking office, Harris was asked by “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie whether she could reassure teachers that it would be safe for them to go back to school even if they’re not vaccinated.
“Teachers should be a priority,” said Harris, adding that teachers “are critical to our children’s development, they should be able to teach in a safe place and expand the minds and the opportunities of our children. So teachers should be a priority along with other frontline workers.”
Harris said fewer than half the states are prioritizing teachers right now to receive the vaccine.
Guthrie noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put out guidance saying that teachers do not have to be vaccinated in order to go back to school.
Asked again if it’s safe for them to return to the classroom without being vaccinated, Harris said that states have to decide whether they can institute safe measures, such as social distancing. She emphasized that the key to ensuring those measures are in place is Congress passing another Covid-19 relief package.
“They should be a priority,” Harris said about teachers getting vaccinated, “And the states are making decisions individually about where they will be on the list of who gets vaccinated.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
