The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revised guidelines for schools Friday, saying three feet of distance between students is sufficient for all elementary and many middle and high schools, a change that lays the groundwork for districts to reopen full-time for in-person classes.
The announcement came as the CDC published new research that found limited coronavirus transmission in schools that require masks but not always six feet of distance, which had been the standard. That was true even in areas with high community spread of the virus. Last month, the CDC recommended that schools maintain six feet of distance between people when it issued much-awaited guidelines for schools.
To achieve that, the agency said schools in most of the country should limit the number of students in the building at any given time and hold off on fully reopening. “CDC is committed to leading with science and updating our guidance as new evidence emerges,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday in a statement. “These updated recommendations provide the evidence-based roadmap to help schools reopen safely, and remain open, for in-person instruction.” President Joe Biden has called on schools to fully reopen, and the revised guidelines put the CDC more clearly in line with the White House. Until now, the CDC was encouraging schools to remain partially shut at the same time Biden was encouraging them to fully open.
Source: KUNA