Some examples of essential businesses and workers are obvious, like hospitals, pharmacies, police and firefighters. The Trump Plan for Public Education? Workers who support the essential services required to meet national security commitments to the federal government and U.S. Military, including, but are not limited to, space and aerospace workers, nuclear matters workers, mechanical and software engineers (various disciplines), manufacturing and production workers, IT support, security staff, security personnel, intelligence … Americans are counting on the essential workers that are risking their health during the coronavirus outbreak. After that is phase 1c, which includes people between the ages of 65 and 75, and people with high-risk medical conditions. As of Nov. 18, approximately 300 school employees have died from the coronavirus in the U.S. since the pandemic began. A federal advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now recommended that health care workers and nursing home residents should be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine. “This could help a vaccination program reach its goals more quickly and effectively.”. Yet during the novel coronavirus pandemic, they have not been designated as or treated as essential front-line workers in the United States. $16 Trillion, According to New Study, As Death Rate Spikes to One per Minute, More Americans Willing to Try COVID Vaccine, Parents and Teachers Are Terrified of Schools Reopening as COVID-19 Cases Surge: ‘I Just Don’t Know If It’s Safe’, Dr. Fauci Warns Children Might Have to Wait Months for a Vaccine. "There's no mandate in that, Maria. The committee voted 13-1 to recommend that Phase 1b include people 75 and older and front-line essential workers. On the face of it, the call by Hamilton early childhood teacher Hannah Swinkels makes sense. Not Scientists. White House officials made the move in part to convey how seriously they believe the schools question should be taken, the person said, but also to try to stabilize the teaching workforce and streamline guidance at a time of confusion about the future of classrooms. If anyone doubted it before the COVID-19 pandemic, I do not see how they could continue to doubt it. Cassandra Stone First let me give a heartfelt thank you to the state’s essential workers – hospital personnel, nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, EMTs, grocery workers, etc. For the purposes of this Executive Order, Essential Businesses and Operations means Healthcare and Public Health Operations, Human Services Operations, Essential Governmental Functions, and Essential Infrastructure, and the following: 1 . (CNN) — The White House is formally declaring teachers essential workers as part of their efforts to encourage schools around the country to reopen for in-person learning. What that is, is when you're declared an essential it means you're going to be prioritized for things like PPE and support. Workers who deliver essential services and functions should continue to do their jobs provided they have no symptoms of COVID-19 disease. DeSantis over vaccine rollout, Raffensperger speaks out after Trump tape release, pressure districts into bringing back students. You are free to classify teacher however you want. While schools are not a big driver of coronavirus infection spread, many teachers are worried about the health risks of being forced back into the classroom. Currently, “phase 1a” of the CDC’s recommendations for use prioritizes healthcare personnel who treat patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as facility residents, for the first round of the vaccine. Administrative staff essential to the COVID-19 response, or delivering essential public services like benefits payment. COVID-19 Executive Order No. Although the advisory committee has yet to finalize federal recommendations for subsequent rollout, Phase 1b will likely focus on essential workers, including police, firefighters, workers in food production and transportation, and teachers. Teachers are essential. Some say teachers should be considered essential workers and fulfill their duties by returning to the classrooms. We are trained, skilled specialists who do a challenging job. $16 Trillion, According to New Study. Under Department of Homeland Security guidance issued this week, teachers are now considered "critical infrastructure workers" and are subject to the same kinds of advisories as other workers who have borne that label -- such as doctors and law enforcement officers. Opinion: Teachers are essential workers. Their teachers did not sign up to be childcare so that working parents can get back to work and re-spark the crashing economy. Some, however, may not be so obvious. 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