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Coronavirus Watch: Are open-air schools the future?

Rachel Aretakis   | Paste BN

Open-air schools: Is this 100-year-old movement a solution for schoolchildren amid the current pandemic?

A century ago, educators across the U.S. got creative and moved the classroom outside to fight against the Spanish flu as well as tuberculosis.

Classes were held on an abandoned ferryboat in New York; students took naps on cots out on covered porches in New Jersey; and Boston erected a tent classroom with canvas curtains on the roof of a park building. Check out these surreal photos. 

This is Wednesday's Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here are the biggest stories of the day, as of noon ET:

  • The Pope cautioned against the rich getting a future vaccine first, adding that "it would be sad if this vaccine were to become the property of this nation or another, rather than universal and for all."
  • The U.S. stock market closed at an all-time high Tuesday, staging a stunning turnaround from the darkest early days of the pandemic. Stay up-to-date on the markets with our Daily Money newsletter. 
  • More school news: The University of Notre Dame is the latest to move all classes online. Meanwhile, North Carolina State University confirmed its first COVID-19 cluster at off-campus housing.
  • What's up with USPS? The head of the Postal Service said he would pause operational changes at the agency until after the November election after lawmakers expressed fear the changes would hinder the collection of mail-in ballots.
  • Maine is seeing its first outbreak linked to a social gathering: At least two dozen people tested positive for the coronavirus after a 65-person wedding reception in rural Maine.

📈 Today's stats: The world has surpassed 22 million cases, while the U.S. has reported almost 5.5 million cases and over 171,800 deaths. See the numbers in your area here.

Join us on Facebook: There's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join the Coronavirus Watch group on Facebook to get updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19.  

As always, thank you for reading and subscribing. We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.

– Rachel Aretakis, breaking news editor, @raretakis

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