Continuing its fight against medical and public health guidance on Coronavirus, the Trump Administration blocks Centers for Disease Control officials from testifying before Congress.

But California defies Donald Trump’s command to reopen schools fully, preparing for online-only instruction in areas where the virus is still spreading.

Confirmed cases rose by more than 70,000 for the second day in a row, reaching 3,647,715. The increase of 71,561 follows Friday’s record-setting 78,309. All but four states have rising caseloads.

The death toll is now 139,266, with more than 900 for the third consecutive day.

The Administration is quashing medical and public health guidance and belittling its top advisors as Donald Trump, pursuing re-election, demands “reopening” of the US despite the uncontrolled surge of the virus in many states.

Earlier this month, the Administration quashed the CDC guidelines on safety in schools. This week, it ordered hospitals to bypass the agency in the reporting of data, instead sending it to a closed Health and Human Services website — thus preventing researchers, modelers, and public health experts from seeing figures on patients and use of intensive care unit beds.

See Coronavirus — Trump’s Latest Dismissal of Medical Experts? Strip CDC of Control of Data

With the CDC saying the school guidance will not be released before the end of July, the House Education and Labor Committee sought answers from CDC Director Robert Redfield on July 23.

But the White House told the Committee that Redfield will not appear.

Committee chair Rep. Bobby Scott said:

It is alarming that the Trump Administration is preventing the CDC from appearing before the Committee at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents, and educators. This lack of transparency does a great disservice to the many communities across the country facing difficult decisions about reopening schools this fall.”

The Administration’s strategy of prioritizing politics over science has had a devastating impact on our country throughout this pandemic. It should not make that same mistake when it comes to reopening schools.

A CDC spokesperson insisted, “[Director Redfield] takes seriously his responsibility to keep Congress informed on CDC’s response to COVID. Being cognizant of the need to prioritize time of task force members, CDC will participate in future hearings when approached by Committees of jurisdiction.”

California Safety Measures

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that in-class instruction in schools will be linked to the metrics of Coronavirus, as the state fights a surge affecting areas with the large majority of the population.

Of California’s 58 counties, 31 are on a watch list. In-person classes will not resume unitl counties are off the monitoring list for 14 days.

Masks are required for students in third grade and older, and masks or face shields are strongly recommended for younger children. Each day will begin with checks for symptoms, with a 5% positive rate bringing immediate closure. Staff must maintain six feet of distance between each other and students

The state will also seek to improve distance learning with connectivity and devices for all children, a requirement of daily live interaction with teachers and other students, and assignments comparable to in-person classwork.

Trump had threatened to withdraw Federal funding for any state and school not fully reopening. After heavy criticism, the Administration converted the threat into the incentive of additional funds for any school with 100% in-class provision.

On Thursday, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said “science must not stand in the way” of reopenings.

TrumpWatch, Day 1,274: New US Coronavirus Case Record — White House Says, “Science Must Not Stand in Way” of School Reopenings

Trump is stepping up his denial of the Coronavirus threat, with dismissal of the Government’s top experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Yet a White House internal document assessed this week that 18 states are “red zones” for cases, with more than 100 new carriers per 100,000 population. Eleven are in the red zone for positive results of more than 10% of tests.