Vaccinated students across the country can plan on returning to classrooms without masks for the upcoming school year, based on guidance issued Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the updated guidance, “students benefit from in-person learning,” and returning to classrooms should be a priority. Starting in March 2020, schools across the nation were mandated to switch to remote learning models to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Vaccination, described by the CDC as the leading prevention strategy against COVID-19, should be promoted as a way to help schools safely return to in-person education as well as extra-curricular activities such as sports, said the centers. Masks should still be worn indoors by all individuals age 2 or older who are not fully vaccinated.
As many schools serve children under the age of 12 (who are not yet eligible for vaccination) layered protection strategies such as mask-wearing will be important for elementary schools especially.
“Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained,” said the CDC.
Additionally, the CDC recommends that schools maintain at least three feet of social distance between students inside classrooms. However, when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least three feet, schools are advised to promote extra enforcement of multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.
Schools should “not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement,” the CDC said.
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Apart from masking, COVID-19 transmission prevention methods include: screening, testing, ventilation, handwashing, coughing etiquette, staying home when sick and contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation. Frequent cleaning and disinfection are also important to keep schools safe.
Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness, not just COVID-19. Municipalities, schools and school districts should also continue monitoring community transmission, vaccination coverage and other data to make sure transmission levels remain in a safe range and guide the level of prevention strategies used.
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