AUSTIN, Texas — Dr. Pritesh Gandhi is an Austin physician, and a former U.S. congressional candidate, who is against sending kids back to school amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Gandhi posted a Twitter thread on Tuesday night which went viral, garnering thousands of comments. In the thread, he made the claim that “America is out of its mind thinking we are even remotely prepared for school this fall. We are definitely not ready and if people say we are it’s either out of ignorance or arrogance.”
The doctor joined KVUE News at 5 Wednesday to further discuss his concern with having kids in classrooms this fall. He said due to issues with testing and contact tracing, school districts shouldn’t have students back in classrooms.
"I’ve got three daughters and if I were to go on Twitter or listen to the president or listen to my elected official, I’m hearing multiple different facts for the same thing," he said. "So I find it nearly impossible to get past this pandemic in a way that is expeditious in a way that prevents suffering."
RELATED: Mike Siegel claims victory, will face U.S. Rep. McCaul in November for U.S. House District 10
Some have stated that kids aren’t as vulnerable to the virus as their parents or grandparents. Dr. Gandhi said that we still don’t know enough about this virus.
"We know that, for children, the overwhelming majority of children do fine but there is a segment of children that are affected and many who are carriers," said the doctor. "There is a lot we don’t know but what we do know is that children can transmit this virus to their parents, to teachers and to their grandparents."