Now DeSantis has left open the possibility of schools reopening in May, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

When asked if he planned to keep schools closed for the remainder of the academic year DeSantis said: ‘We’re going to look at the evidence and make a decision. If it’s safe we want kids to be in school. Even if it’s for a couple of weeks, we think there would be value in that.’

Although adults do account for the majority of confirmed cases, there are known cases of children infected with the virus.

Infants with the bug have generally shown milder symptoms than adults, federal health officials say, but can still act as carriers of the virus and spread it to others.