NEWS UPDATES: Trump press secretary says science should not stand in the way of schools reopening - Covid-19

The press secretary of the White House has revived Donald Trump's call for schools to reopen, saying the science should not stand in the way of that.

Mrs. Kayleigh McEnany said echoing the president's push for students to return to classrooms, we don't think children should be locked up at home, with devastating consequences.

You know, the president has stated unmistakably that he wants to open schools, Mrs. McEnany said. And I was just in the Oval talking to him about that, and when he says open, he means open in full - kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this.

She claimed that many medical experts had said that it was safe for children to attend school, before adding: "Science is on our side here, and we encourage localities and states to simply follow science.

Ms McEnany also said the study indicated that the risk to children of COVID-19 was "far less" than that of seasonal influenza.

Despite Donald Trump's insistence, a new poll showed only one in four Americans that it is safe for public schools to reopen this fall as US coronavirus cases escalate.

Four in 10 parents said they would probably keep their children at home if classes resume, the Reuters/Ipsos survey indicates.

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The national online poll of July 14-15 was conducted as 13,000 school districts in the US grappled with how to resume instruction safely after closing as infections spread in the spring.

Only 26 per cent of American adults said they thought that bringing back students was safe for schools in their community, while 55 per cent felt that they were not safe and 19 per cent were not sure.

New coronavirus infections are now on the rise in 40 countries, while 22 countries have either halted or reversed efforts to re-open their economies, according to Bank of America.

Florida reported a one-day record of 156 deaths, along with nearly 14,000 new cases, reflecting a broader trend this week as the national death rate rose. The seven-day rolling average for new deaths rose to 730, up more than 21 percent from a week ago.