American Coronavirus: Teacher Unions Cautious of New CDC Guidelines on Social Distancing in Schools

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Friday’s announcement relaxes recommendations for social distancing to 3 feet by 6 feet and leans heavily on schools using other measures, including universal masking and contact tracing, the CDC director said, Dr Rochelle Walensky.

“At first glance, moving to a three-foot distance for students in classrooms will be particularly difficult for large urban school districts and those who have not yet had access to the resources to fully implement the measures. COVID-19 mitigation measures that the CDC says are essential for safe in-person instruction, regardless of the distance between students in classrooms, ”she said.

Many officials and parents were eager to send students back to class after a year of learning affected by a global pandemic. And while the increase in vaccinations has made people optimistic about a return to a sense of normalcy, health experts fear the variants could cause another surge.

And students under 16 are unlikely to be eligible for vaccines for several months.

“We’re so close to being able to make sure that all of our schools can be a lot safer,” Pringle said. “But as public health officials have rightly warned, with new variants and a race to make vaccinations widely available, now is not the time to let our guard down.”

With 80% of schools now offering some kind of in-person instruction, according to the American Federation of Teachers, there has been progress in reopening classes – and with more widespread vaccine availability, that number is expected to increase.

AFT said on Friday it would “reserve judgment” on changing the guidelines until more information is available, but also expressed concern that the motivation might have been to host schools without space for six feet rather than science-based safety.

Masked students walk in a line down the main hall as they are socially left behind at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Low transmission in schools

The CDC said experts believe it will reduce distancing due to low levels of school transmission in three states.

The center released reports from Utah, Missouri and Florida on Friday that showed that while students wore masks and followed other measures to reduce transmission, the 6-foot distance didn’t have much of an impact. importance.

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In Florida, 60% of Covid-19 cases among college students were unrelated to school, a team of researchers from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health reported. Sporting and social events were more dangerous than classrooms, they said.

In Utah, a study found that 86% of students wore masks in elementary classrooms and very few transmitted the virus to others.

“Despite a high incidence in the community and an inability to space student class seats 6 feet or more apart, this investigation found low transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and no school-related outbreaks in 20 elementary schools. County of Salt Lake with high use and implementation of student masks, multiple strategies to limit transmission, ”the researchers wrote.

And in Missouri, where only 27% of schools were able to space desks 6 feet apart, a two-week survey found only two people infected with another person at the school, and in both cases, it didn’t. it was just another person.

Obstacles to normal

Meanwhile, experts say there are two obstacles to achieving herd immunity – vaccine variants and reluctance.

“We are seeing the restrictions being lifted in many parts of the country, we are seeing that travel has reached an all time high. People are already returning to normal before the pandemic,” Emergency doctor Dr Leana Wen told Anderson Cooper of CNN. Thursday.

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“We have a fairly narrow window of opportunity to clarify what the benefits of vaccinations are. We know that these vaccines are really effective in preventing serious illness. They also significantly reduce your risk in each of these different types of settings, whether it’s going to a restaurant or the gym, or seeing family and friends. “

More than 23% of the U.S. population – more than 77.2 million people – have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Americans 65 and older, more than 67% of the population have received at least one dose.

At least 118 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to CDC data, and 100 million of these were reported during President Joe Biden’s tenure.

Biden doubled his previous target on Friday, announcing his goal of administering 200 million doses by his 100th day in office.

New variant more deadly and contagious, says Fauci

Rapid vaccination is more important than ever as the B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the UK, is expected to become the dominant variant by the end of March or early April, according to the CDC.

Research conducted earlier in the year suggests that vaccination may still provide protection against new variants.

Measures such as mask use and social distancing are also crucial, Dr Anthony Fauci said during a White House briefing, as the variant is both more contagious and likely more deadly.

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The B.1.1.7 variant has since been identified in 50 US jurisdictions and “now probably accounts for around 20-30% of infections in this country. And that number is on the rise,” Fauci said.

The variant is around 50% more transmissible than the original virus, according to British documentation, Fauci said.

Due to the complications brought by the variants, experts believe that a mass inoculation is necessary.

CNN’s Travis Caldwell, DJ Judd, Jen Christensen, Maggie Fox, Lauren Mascarenhas and Nick Neville contributed to this report.

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