Children should return to classrooms as soon as possible across the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced, saying the evidence indicates that face-to-face instruction can be carried out with security, as long as there is social distance and mask – the usage protocols are in effect.
At the same time, local authorities must limit indoor restaurants, bars and poorly ventilated gyms to keep infection rates low in the wider community, the CDC researchers wrote in a report published Tuesday, January 26 in the newspaper JAMA .
“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected K-12 schools across the United States,” said the report. “The accumulation of data now suggests a way forward to maintain or return mainly or entirely to classroom teaching.
“Actions include taking measures to reduce transmission in the community and limit school-related activities, such as playing indoor sports or competitions that can increase the risk of transmission.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved rapidly in the spring and summer of 2020, congregated environments experienced rapid and widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2, including both congregated residential environments (e.g., long-term care facilities, correctional facilities) and high density occupational environments (eg meat and poultry processing facilities).
“Planning for the 2020/2021 school year included a lot of uncertainty about the risk of transmission in school settings. Although the benefits of attending school in person were well understood, proper assessment of its risks versus benefits was hampered by limited information about the risk of transmission in classroom settings.
“Closing schools can adversely affect academic progress, mental health and access to essential student services; however, if SARS-CoV-2 spreads quickly in classrooms, opening schools can accelerate the transmission of the virus There were no simple decisions for parents, teachers, administrators or civil servants.2,3
“As many schools have reopened for face-to-face teaching in some parts of the United States and also internationally, school cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increasing transmission in the community.”
The full report can be viewed here.
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