“Even for parents whose children have already returned to school, pandemic-related care challenges rage on.

“James Smith, who works as a financial analyst at a mid-sized bank in the Dallas area, is back in the office full-time already. His wife, a pharmacist, never stopped going to work.

Although they are both vaccinated and their 2- and 5-year-old kids are back at daycare and kindergarten, the pandemic is still disrupting their lives.

“ ‘Covid is still fairly prevalent in the community,’ he told CNN Business. ‘Our oldest has been subject to two quarantines in March and April,’ because of possible exposure at school. For Smith, that meant working from home again, which he said created friction with his employer, or getting help from his elderly parents, who are at greater risk from the virus.

“ ‘There aren’t really any statutory [rules] if your kid is out of school,’ because of Covid exposure, he said. ‘It’s kind of a rush to get back to normal on the business side. I question whether or not that’s considering what’s actually going in the community.’ ”

— “Offices are reopening. For parents, that raises a childcare problem,” by Anneken Tappe, CNN Business, May 19, 2021