Return to school has caused a surge in covid-19 cases in under-vaccinated counties

THE BEGINNING of the school year normally brings a sense of relief for most parents. But with covid-19 cases in America reaching levels last seen in February, and the highly infectious Delta-variant sweeping across the nation, the start of term was instead met with fear. Though the benefits of in-person schooling are clear—children learn better at their desks, the vulnerable are less likely to be left behind, and parents are able to get on with their own work—there were concerns that mixing in packed playgrounds and classrooms would increase the spread of the virus.