Fauci says school closures led to 'deleterious collateral consequences,' but he had 'nothing to do' with it

foxnews.com:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic over the last two-and-a-half years, deflected responsibility for school closures in an interview on Sunday while admitting to some negative effects for children.

The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is stepping down in December after five decades in the role, was asked by ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl whether it was a "mistake" for schools to be closed down as long as they were.  "I don’t want to use the word ‘mistake,’ Jon, because if I do, it gets taken out of the context that you’re asking me the question on," Fauci said. "We should realize, and have realized, that there will be deleterious collateral consequences when you do something like that."  Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks at a Congressional hearing.  (Getty Images) Fauci went on to say the virus has killed nearly 1,500 children, but that he always emphasized health officials must do "everything we can to keep the schools open." "No one plays that clip.They always say ‘Fauci was responsible for closing schools.’ I had nothing to do [with it].

I mean, let’s get down to the facts," Fauci told ABC News. Numerous studies have shown that school closures contributed to unprecedented learning loss in K-12 students.

FILE: Students and parents arrive masked for the first day of the school year at Grant Elementary School in Los Angeles, California, August 16, 2021.