“We didn’t get it right on the front end,” Rubin said of the closing of schools that has lasted months in many places, while scores of restaurants, bars and shops have reopened. “We should get it right on the back end.”

That may be starting to sink in. After shuttering schools Thursday because of coronavirus infection rates outside of schools, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said to expect orders closing indoor dining and gyms. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy is adamant that schools will remain open even if businesses are forced to close because of a surge in cases.

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine imposed a curfew on businesses Thursday and recently implored people to wear masks or take responsibility for being the reason schools are shuttered. He also said he would veto a bill that would curtail his ability to impose a shutdown. Democratic leaders in California — where some private schools are open, but even in cities with low infection rates public schools are closed — have labeled the situation state-sanctioned segregation, in a break with union allies. The governor’s children are attending in-person classes at a private school.