As some students from pre-K through grade 5 returned to in-class learning, the United Federation of Teachers and neighborhood physicians joined forces to ease the concerns of parents.

The group held a press conference outside Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem to reassure parents and caregivers that it is safe for students to return to the classroom.

Doctors from SOMOS, which is the largest network of doctors in the city, joined UFT President Michael Mulgrew to reiterate the message that public schools are safe for in-class instruction.

Since March, doctors from SOMOS have been at the front line testing students and teachers in more than 400 public schools across the city.

With the current spike in COVID-19 hitting some neighborhoods, doctors from SOMOS are standing together with the teachers union as a show of solidarity to enforce the need for testing in schools as way to reduce the spread of the virus.

Doctors from SOMOS say they are taking care of the needs of teachers and parents in about 100 public schools in the Bronx.