Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - Gov. Asa Hutchinson didn't dispute University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences projections indicating that reopening schools to in-person classes would lead to more coronavirus infections.
"To me, that's like saying if we sheltered in place, we'd reduce the number of cases that we have, which is true," Hutchinson said.
"But we don't shelter in place, because there's essential things that have to be done in our society, and the same thing is true with education."
Hutchinson spoke as the state's count of coronavirus cases rose by 729, the largest one-day increase since Saturday.
The projections by UAMS' Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, released Tuesday, estimated that holding all school classes online, instead of in person, would reduce the number of new infections each day by more than half, from 8,000 to 3,000, by Oct. 6.
That includes cases discovered through testing and many more that are not.
With a mix of in-person and online classes, the virus would infect an average of 5,500 a day by that date, the college estimated.
Hutchinson has said he expects schools to offer in-person instruction each day when classes are normally held during the school year that starts next week.
Schools can also offer online options and can shift to virtual instruction in response to outbreaks.
"Obviously, you reduce risk if you all stayed at home, but we have to do education," Hutchinson said Wednesday.
"The best way to do education is in-classroom instruction, but we're providing a virtual option. And so you can't disagree with what was said, but it just ignores the reality and the importance of trying to give the best opportunity for our young people to get the best education under these circumstances."
Hutchinson also said some information in the college's projections is "really not helpful from a policy-making standpoint."
For instance, he said it's unknown how many people in the state are infected who have never been tested, so it's impossible to know whether the college's predictions for total infections are accurate.
But he did note that the college has been steadily shifting its predicted peak of hospitalizations from the virus forward into the future.
On June 12, for instance, the college predicted that hospitalizations would peak at 3,326 on Sept. 30 under a moderate scenario.
The latest forecast predicts the number peaking under that scenario at 2,263 on Dec. 19.
