Is it safe for day care centers to be open right now?

Children under 5 are not known for respecting personal space or keeping germs to themselves — even in the best of circumstances. And when you get lots of these little drooling, hugging, shouting humans together in one space, such as day care, illnesses tend to spread rapidly, bouncing among children, their families, and back again.

While some child care centers around the country have remained open in the Covid-19 pandemic, many US states and localities have required them to close or limit services to health care worker parents only. According...