SLC Times

COVID-19 shutdown restrictions have devastated the nation's children, according to a double board-certified family physician in Utah.

“It's a tragedy,” said Dr. Mary Tipton, founder of CopperView Medical in South Jordan, Utah. “We’re finding more and more that children are not medically affected by coronavirus to any significant extent and yet they have suffered social isolation and physical isolation. The setbacks that so many children will experience from missing school and not having the safety net for food, education and psychological interaction with their peers is huge.”

Dr. Tipton is among the physicians, scientists, public health officials, economists and social scientists nationwide who have joined Restore American Communities Safely to support reopening the economy, including work and schools.

“What I have seen most in this pandemic is the suffering from all the shutdowns and the collateral damage,” Dr. Tipton told the SLC Times. “This is not going away. We are not going back to the way it was and so we need to find a way to live with the virus and not live in fear of it. I got involved to help share that word.” 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently advocated for prioritizing in-person learning in an online statement:

“Schools are critical to addressing racial and social inequity...Evidence from spring 2020 school closures points to negative impacts on learning. Children and adolescents also have been placed at higher risk of morbidity and mortality from physical or sexual abuse, substance use, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."

Further, the AAP issued guidance for school re-entry called COVID-19 Planning Considerations.

“Because younger children are resilient, they will be able to bounce back and regain some of those skills if we open our schools, get them back to daycare, allow them to play outside with their friends and see their cousins,” said Dr. Tipton, who has four children. “I believe we can allow these types of things because the risks to our children and the adults that are interacting with those children are acceptably low and that the risks of not doing so are unacceptably high.”

A total of 25,469 coronavirus cases and 190 deaths were reported statewide as of July 7, 2020, according to the Utah Department of Health.

Despite the threat of illness caused by the coronavirus, Dr. Tipton does not believe there should be masks or six feet of social distancing for young children in school buildings and, if they are exposed to coronavirus, it will help society develop herd immunity.

“Social distancing and masks are not realistic situations,” she said in an interview. “Children in school definitely will probably get the virus. That's kind of the long-term goal, though. We want the people who can develop antibodies and not end up sick or dying to get the infection, recover and have immunity. There's no other option to get us to where we want to be besides herd immunity.”

The Centers for Disease Control has issued these guidelines for coronavirus protection.