CDC Updated Guidance Emphasizes that Closing Schools for In-person Learning should be Among the last Resort to Control Spread of COVID

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,on February 12, the US CDC published updated guidance to support schools’ efforts to mitigate COVID-19 risk for in-person classes. The biggest update is a new “phased mitigation” strategy, which couples risk mitigation measures with the level of community transmission. The guidance emphasizes 5 key mitigation mechanisms—mask use, physical distancing, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and sanitization, and surveillance and contact tracing—that are applicable across all levels of COVID-19 risk, but it also provides actionable information regarding how to implement those and other strategies at various levels of COVID-19 risk. The guidance also breaks down specific recommendations for elementary, middle, and high schools, and it includes guidance for extracurricular activities, including sports.

The updated guidance emphasizes that closing schools for in-person learning should be among the last measures taken to control local transmission. With that in mind, the guidance highlights some areas of flexibility in terms of the local community COVID-19 risk and what schools are capable of implementing. The guidance provides schools with recommendations regarding the minimum standards for conducting in-person classes for various levels of COVID-19 risk. For example, 6-foot physical distancing is recommended “to the greatest extent possible” for communities with low and moderate transmission; however, the CDC recommends mandatory 6-foot distancing for schools in substantial or high transmission areas. Schools that are unable to ensure the recommended physical distancing may need to reduce attendance and/or transition to hybrid or remote learning models, if community transmission is elevated. In addition to physical distancing, the guidance includes information on improving ventilation and implementing screening or testing programs for students and staff as well as additional risk mitigation measures if these programs cannot be implemented. Some view the guidance as a positive step toward supporting schools’ efforts to resume in-person learning, particularly the emphasis on closing schools as a last resort, whereas others argue that criteria for community transmission and testing are unrealistic and overly restrictive and that the guidance will ultimately keep schools closed longer.

Some aspects of the CDC’s previous school guidance remain in place, including the COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit, Get Ready for In-Person Learning, Setting Up Your Classroom, and Teacher and Staff Checklists—all of which were published or updated in December 2020. The CDC also updated its Operating Schools During COVID-19 guidance on February 11, but there are no changes listed since December 31, 2020.