Federal health officials announced on Friday an updated guidance on physical distance in schools, now saying that students need to be only 3 feet away instead of 6 feet
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students can maintain a distance of three feet or more in classroom environments, as long as there is universal masking, a change that can accelerate the reopening of schools.
The recommendation is for all elementary and high school students, regardless of whether transmission in the community is low, moderate or substantial, said the CDC.
High school and high school students should be at least 6 feet away in communities where transmission is high, said the CDC, if the cohort is not possible. Cohort is when groups of students are kept together with the same classmates and staff throughout the school day to reduce the risk of spread throughout the school. According to the CDC, older students are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 and to spread it than younger children.
The CDC also recommends 6 feet away in common areas, such as lobbies and auditoriums, and during activities such as singing, shouting, banding or sports.
Health officials in recent days have predicted the recommendations and said they will better reflect scientific changes.
“CDC is committed to leading with science and updating our guidelines as new evidence emerges,” Director of the CDC Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyThe urgency to keep the COVID-19 workplace testing Fauci: CDC will likely shorten the distance guidance for schools WATCH LIVE: Fauci, director of the CDC will testify at COVID-19 MORE said in a statement. “Safe personal instruction gives our children access to essential mental and social health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to succeed. These updated recommendations provide an evidence-based roadmap to help schools reopen safely and remain open for face-to-face education. ”
Three feet is the minimum distance approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. For many schools, keeping students 6 feet away is not feasible. In some cases, there is no distance.
But teacher unions are unlikely to support the idea. Although he says he will reserve the trial until he reads the guidelines more carefully, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said on CNN Friday that he is concerned that classrooms may become more crowded, especially in places without adequate ventilation.
The CDC’s insistence on 6 feet of separation has been a critical point in the debate over the reopening of the school. The agency acknowledged that face-to-face education is not a major driver of community spread and that transmission of the virus is more rare in schools compared to the surrounding community.
However, the most recent CDC guidance from last month suggests that schools located in communities with low or moderate virus transmission should implement 6 feet apart “as far as possible”.
Walensky on Wednesday, he told members of the Energy and Commerce Chamber’s oversight subcommittee that the agency was “looking to update” its guidance based on new data.
“As soon as our guidance was released, it became very clear that 6 feet was among the things that kept schools closed and, in that context, science evolves,” said Walensky.
Updated at 12:17 pm