President Joe Biden has said that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on school reopenings during the novel coronavirus pandemic is “the best available scientific evidence on how to reopen schools safely”.

“As many states continue to follow the CDC’s recommendation to prioritizse teachers for vaccination, I urge all states to follow suit,” Biden said in a statement after the United States public health agency recommended universal mask-wearing and physical distancing to get children back in the classroom.