Parents and school administrators have eagerly been awaiting guidance on COVID protocols for the upcoming school year. Today, the CDC issued recommendations, making it clear having children attend schools in person is essential.
“Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority.”
To do this safely, the agency says unvaccinated kids should still wear masks. For those who are eligible to get a vaccine, the CDC stresses “Achieving high levels of COVID-19 vaccination among eligible students as well as teachers, staff, and household members is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely resume full operations.” Having the vaccination means, for the most part, you wouldn’t have to wear a mask at school. However, the agency says it will leave it up to local public health officials and school administrators to consider multiple factors in deciding whether vaccinated people should still wear masks. This includes the rate of community transmission, as well as local vaccine rates.
The CDC also recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask-wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated.
When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.
Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
With COVID cases currently rising, the CDC is already receiving some criticism that these new guidelines don’t go far enough to protect children.