Editor's Note: Stephen Ndegwa is a Nairobi-based communications consultant and international affairs columnist. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

U.S. President Donald Trump does not disappoint. Just when you think he has overdone himself, he effortlessly goes against the grain of wisdom and fact, taking his ludicrous assertions either on contentious or obvious issues to new heights of irrationality.

In a press briefing late this week, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany reiterated Trump's earlier assertion that, "We want to reopen the schools. Everybody wants it. The moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it. It's time to do it." Such claims are nothing short of shocking at a time when the U.S. has the highest coronavirus statistics in the world, with more than 3.7 million cases, and over 141,000 deaths.

The strange claims aside, the notion that Americans want schools to reopen does not negate the fact that it is a potentially catastrophic thing to do amid the worsening coronavirus situation in the nation. As president, Trump has the responsibility of protecting those who are reckless enough to willfully expose the vulnerable to imminent danger.

Trump's sentiments are way off the mark, and most likely aimed at appealing to a certain anti-establishment political constituent. Although children are not the poster for the coronavirus, it is not sufficient reason to push them out in the open prematurely.

More shockingly, U.S. reported on July 17 that the White House is blocking the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Robert Redfield, and his officials from testifying before a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on reopening schools next week.

Some medical experts are of the view that the low number of children's infections currently being observed is not a true reflection of their resilience. For instance, a recent pediatric report in Florida published on July 10 revealed a surprising 31.1 percent coronavirus infection rate among children under 18 years old, against an overall positivity of 18.1 percent.

This supports a recent survey by researchers from the Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva, which "suggests children may be able to transmit coronavirus similar to infected adults." 

The researchers found out that out of 23 children surveyed who had tested positive for COVID-19 ranging in age from seven days old to 16 years old, 98 percent carried the same viral load as adults. Similar research in Germany and France also show children are not immune to coronavirus. 

Last month, the CDC warned that the coronavirus pandemic is now moving to younger populations in many U.S. states, observing that "we may need to get out the message that young people are not somehow naturally immune to this virus, although they may be at lower risk of severe infection."

Around the same time McEnany was reiterating Trump's views, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that young people were "inadvertently propagating the pandemic," asking them to trust "respected medical authorities" and ignore "political nonsense."

True, keeping children at home for an inordinately long period is bound to have a negative impact on some facets of their overall development. As Trump also rightly points out, the situation is also putting many families under massive mental and physical duress, as parents feel caged in amid the worsening unemployment situation.

Moreover, the United Nations International Children's Fund warns that "children's reliance on online platforms for distance learning has also increased their risk of exposure to inappropriate content and online predators," including experiencing domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Nevertheless, authorities have to choose the lesser evil. Either returning children to school and be damned, or wait a little longer for foolproof solutions. Indeed, not everyone is an adherent of Trump's COVID-19 gospel, preferring to err on the side of caution.

Early in the week, three of the nation's largest school districts – Los Angeles, San Diego and Atlanta – ignored pressure from Trump to open for in-person instruction in the fall, saying students will learn entirely online at home.

Several other big cities are mulling similar action, while others said they would adopt hybrid plans where students will learn intermittently between home and school. Those who support Trump's all out re-opening are in the minority.

Medical science and political science are like water and oil; they do not mix. While political expediency entreats the politician to do the unthinkable for votes at the ballot, science warns of dire consequences if certain protocols are overlooked.

Science is not static either. It evolves over time, like the eventual verdict that using face masks is one of the major ways of preventing transmission of the virus. Before the science of children and COVID-19 is fully established, both current research and common sense dictates that we keep them off the line of danger. In any case, the virus is reportedly mutating in some cases, which requires eternal vigilance.

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