Coronavirus: Dr Oz admits he ‘misspoke’ when calling school reopenings an ‘appetising opportunity’

‘I’ve realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people’

Dr Oz has admitted he “misspoke” when he called the possibility of reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic an “appetising opportunity”.

The TV personality has been facing criticism for comments he made earlier this week on Fox News.

“First, we need our mojo back,” Oz said while discussing potential paths to ease lockdown measures.

“Let’s start with things that are really critical to the nation where we think we might be able to open without getting into a lot of trouble.

“I tell ya, schools are a very appetising opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3% in terms of total mortality.”

Oz’s comments were met with a backlash, with the hashtag #FireDrOz spreading on social media.

On Thursday, Oz sought to ease the impact of his comments in a video message.

“I’ve realised my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people, which was never my intention. I misspoke,” he said.

“As a heart surgeon, I’ve spent my career fighting to save lives in the operating room by minimising risks.

“At the same time, I’m being asked constantly how we will be able to get people back to their normal lives.”

He went on to describe schools as “places of security, nutrition and learning” for children.

Many states in the US are currently wrestling with potential timelines to ease lockdown restrictions without triggering a renewed spread of the virus.

Donald Trump on Thursday gave governors a road map for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out “a phased and deliberate approach” to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in Covid-19 cases.

The new guidelines are aimed at easing restrictions in areas with low transmission of the coronavirus, while holding the line in harder-hit locations.

They make clear that the return to normalcy will be a far longer process than Trump initially envisioned, with federal officials warning that some social distancing measures may need to remain in place through the end of the year to prevent a new outbreak. And they largely reinforce plans already in the works by governors, who have primary responsibility for public health in their states.

Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phase gradual reopening of businesses and schools. In phase one, for instance, the plan recommends strict social distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided, and nonessential travel is discouraged.

In phase two, people are encouraged to maximise social distancing and limit gatherings to no more than 50 people unless precautionary measures are taken. Travel could resume. Phase three envisions a return to normal for most Americans, with a focus on identification and isolation of any new infections.

The guidelines recommend that states pass checkpoints that look at new cases, testing and surveillance data over the prior 14 days before advancing from one phase to another.

The Associated Press contributed to this report