Let colleges reopen without fear of bogus lawsuits

From the day in March that massive reactions to the coronavirus began, two things should have been clear, both of which now come together in a new letter from the American Council on Education.

First, it should have been clear that automatically shutting down all colleges was not a good idea because collegians on the loose were more likely to spread the virus than the same students sequestered on some nonurban campuses. Second, it was obvious that one consideration in colleges (and other businesses) shutting down was based not on science or public health but because of fear of legal liability, no matter how logically unwarranted the lawsuits might be.