Do not comply: Covid surge forces schools to close and bring back pandemic-era measures - and more are at risk as millions head back to class next week | 26 Aug 2024 | Schools in two states experiencing a rise in Covid cases [among the vaccinated] announced they were closing facilities and switching to remote learning. Alabama and Tennessee announced the closure of two schools -- affecting more than a thousand children -- just days into the new academic year, with officials saying the virus had forced them to shut and carry out a "deep clean." At one of the schools, children had to abandon their desks and revert to remote learning for two days -- a move reminiscent of the early days of Covid. The closures came -- both in Republican states -- despite a mountain of evidence suggesting they hamper children's learning, social interactions and ability to develop natural immunity to common infections. And there are fears that more disruption could be in store for students in the coming months — with many schools, in states like New York, New Jersey and Michigan, returning after the Labor Day weekend.