CDC: schools can open with "layers" of COVID-19 precautions when community spread is moderate
Vaccinations "not a condition" for safe reopening, but agency warns that schools need masks, distancing and other measures to prevent outbreaks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its revised guidance for schools Friday, summarizing data from around the world on COVID-19 transmission among students, teachers and staff and recommending that schools should be closed only when there is “substantial” or “high” level of virus transmission in the surrounding community.
Vaccinations for teachers and staff should be prioritized as one of the layers of protection, but they are not “a condition for reopening,” says the CDC.
At the outset of the pandemic, school closures were among the first actions taken in many communities because they were seen as gathering spots with considerable interaction between people of different households.
The new guidelines emphasize a “layered” approach to precautions against coronavirus spread, what some scientists refer to as the “Swiss cheese model.” By implementing multiple layers of protection, the odds of virus getting through all the layers is reduced.
Schools can reopen safely in most communities when new case and test positivity rates are low or moderate and the following precautions are in place:
consistent and correct use of masks,
physical distancing,
handwashing and respiratory etiquette,
cleaning
ventilation, and
contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine.
The detailed guide is available on the CDC website.