Why Schools but not Shuls
Professor Barry D Schoub
28 May 2020
- Most importantly —the science of the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving at an extremely rapid rate. Evidence-based decisions to most effectively respond to this serious public health threat must be based on the best current science sourced from authentic validated expertise published in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
- It has been shown in studies in countries throughout the world, and published in peer-reviewed scientific publications, that transmission in the classroom environment is at a very low level and of relatively minor importance to the overall epidemiology of the disease..
- The great majority of children who do get infected, again shown in studies published in peer-reviewed scientific literature, acquire their infection from household transmission or from contacts outside the school environment.
- It is abundantly clear that the great majority of children who are infected with coronavirus are very mildly affected or often without any symptoms at all.
- Children have also been shown to be poor transmitters of the virus to themselves and to adults. [There may well be physiological reasons for this e.g. it has been shown that the expression of the ACE2 receptor in the nasopharynx of children is significantly lower than in adults.].
- Children in the school environment are undoubtedly more disciplined than adults and would be more compliant to the infection control precautionary measures which will be instituted in schools.
- There are major consequences to the economy as result of school closure because of working parents having to stay home to care for children.
- There may well be significant damage to child development and psychological well-being to children as a consequence of prolonged school closure.
- Adults regularly, frequently and demonstrably flout the infection control precautions put into place during the lockdown.
- Studies and observations throughout the world have consistently shown religious gatherings to one of the most important super-spreading event
- Over and above the danger of religious gatherings in general it is been well demonstrated that Jewish religious gatherings—functions and shuls— are “virus hubs” because they naturally lend to super socialisation.
- Studies and observations throughout the Jewish world have regularly shown Jewish populations to be far more seriously affected by Covid-19 than any other ethnic minority and, in particular, in the religious Jewish component.
