Federal health officials announced updated guidelines on physical distance in schools on Friday, saying now that students should be only 3 meters away, rather than 6.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students can maintain a distance of three feet or more in classrooms as long as there is universal masking, a change that could accelerate the reopening of schools.
The recommendation is for all K-12 students, whether the community transmission is low, moderate or substantial, the CDC said.
High school and high school students should be at least 6 feet away in communities where transmission is high, the CDC said, if cohortation is not possible. Cohortation is when groups of students are held together with the same classmates and staff throughout the school day to reduce the risk of spreading throughout the school. According to the CDC, older students are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 and spread than younger children.
The CDC also recommends a distance of 6 feet in common areas, such as lobbies and auditoriums, and during activities such as singing, shouting, bands, or playing sports.
Health officials in recent days have previewed the recommendations and said they will better reflect changing science.
“CDC is committed to leading with science and updating our guidelines as new evidence emerges,” CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky Urgency to keep COVID-19 testing at work Fauci: CDC likely to shorten distance guidance for schools SEE LIVE: Fauci, CDC director to testify at COVID-19 MORE he said in a statement. “Safe personal education gives our children access to critical social and mental 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 personal instruction. ”
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 at all.
But teachers’ unions will not support the idea. While saying he will reserve his judgment until he reads the guide more carefully, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said on Friday that CNN is concerned that classrooms could become more crowded, especially in places without adequate ventilation. .
The CDC’s insistence on a 6-foot separation was a turning point in the school’s reopening debate. The agency acknowledged that personal schooling is not an important factor in the spread of the community and that the transmission of the virus is less common in schools compared to the surrounding community.
However, the latest CDC guidance from last month suggests that schools in communities with low or moderate virus transmission implement 6 feet of distance “as far as possible”.
Walensky He told members of the House Energy and Trade Oversight Subcommittee on Wednesday that the agency was “looking to update” its guidelines based on new data.
“As soon as our guidelines came out, it became very clear that 6 feet were among the things that kept schools closed, and in this context, science is evolving,” Walensky said.
Updated at 12:17 p.m.