Biden To Grant US $10 Billion For Schools To Reopen

by Jay Ahon / Mar 18, 2021 05:59 AM EDT

United States President Joe Biden's administration to grant the US $10 billion for Covid-19 testings to schools, in the country's effort to hasten the face-to-face learning in the country, the move came after the government approved the $1.9 trillion stimulus package last week.

The Department of Health and Human Services, on Wednesday, announced that the goal is to help schools to reopen in the last months of this school year. The administration mentioned that the states are set to receive the funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April.

The government funding will be used for diagnostic testing among teachers who are asymptomatic, staff, students, as well as those who might have been exposed to someone infected by the virus.

The money will also be used to make sure that schools can provide "serial screening testing" to be able to identify those who might have the virus, with or without symptoms.

The President had made a safety reopening for the country's schools for a face to face learning which is the focus for the President's first 100 days in office.

Data from Burbio showed recently that around half of the students from K-12 are already attending classes in person for five days a week, and some 30 percent of schools conduct classes in person for at least part of the time.

The government had announced previously that it would fund $650 million for testing schools in K-8 and challenged every state to inoculate all staff and teachers in every school by the end of March. They have also announced the $2.25 billion investment for testing high risks and underserved populations, which includes racial and ethnic minority groups and those who live in rural areas.

The administration also said that the CDC is already crafting a new guide "for how to use screening testing to identify, track, and mitigate asymptomatic transmission," which will comprise a breakdown of the different types of Covid-19 testings and how to deploy them strategically.