The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is delaying the release of new reference documents on safely reopening schools, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
The CDC was expected to release the information by the end of this week, but the spokesperson said, “They're not ready to come out this week.”
The spokesperson said he doesn’t have a “clear picture at this point” on when the agency might release the documents but indicated the information would “likely” be available by the end of the month.
Some context: The CDC said last week it was releasing new documents on school reopening after US President Donald Trump complained that the agency’s current guidance is “very tough” and “expensive.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly called for schools to reopen, even as cases surged across parts of the country, and has slammed the CDC’s existing guidelines.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has warned that the country has to control the pandemic in order to safely get children back in school this fall.