Despite misinformation spreading online, officials do not expect mpox will lead to Covid-level school lockdowns

Federal health officials say that mpox is drastically different from Covid, and is highly unlikely to lead to school closures. Photo illustration by Leila Register / NBC News; Getty Images

NBC News
Since the World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency last week, familiar fears of school shutdowns have ricocheted across social media, striking a nerve with many U.S. students who remember all too well the 2020 Covid lockdowns.

“I’M NOT MISSING SENIOR YEAR BC OF MONKEYPOX,” one person wrote in the caption of a TikTok video with nearly 1 million views.

In another, a remix of “Forever Young” plays as the text “2024: ‘did you see they shut down some schools,’” appears on the screen. The video has more than 8 million views. “I swear if it’s another lockdown I’ll cry,” someone replied in the comments.

Kids “have been through this before,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, director and health officer of the Shelby County Health Department in Memphis, Tennessee. “They don’t want to go through it again.”

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