America’s top doctors say kids need masks and social distancing in schools this fall

Students should wear masks and practice social distancing at school to ensure safe in-person learning this fall, America’s top doctors said on Tuesday.

Only 30% of 12 to 17 year olds are fully immunized in America, and the youngest will likely not be immunized for a good part of the school year. This has raised concerns among the American Academy of Pediatrics and other top doctors that the delta variant may spread in American schools when the kids return to class this fall.

“I think the masking mandates or universal masking in the school setting should be enforced … there are still a lot of very sensitive individuals who will be attending school in person,” Dr. Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics at the Northwestern University, said Tuesday during a call organized by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Tan also said there were a lot of unvaccinated teachers and school staff, “and one way to really protect these people from Covid contamination in the school setting would be to apply a mask warrant until that a higher percentage of these people can be vaccinated “.

For children under 12 who cannot be vaccinated, “you will need to use the protective mitigation protocols that we used before the vaccine became available until these people become eligible for vaccination.” Tan said.

Their call for masks in schools comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepares to announce new guidelines on indoor masks for fully vaccinated people on Tuesday.

In May, the CDC relaxed its guidelines on masks for children at summer camps, saying at the time that fully immunized children did not need them.

Vaccine eligibility for children under 12 could arrive as early as the end of this year, or early in the middle of 2022, vaccine makers predicted.

To reduce the spread of Covid this fall, schools could keep desks at least three feet apart and teachers could be assigned smaller classes, experts say.

Returning to in-person learning is also important for children, “given the significant negative impacts that have resulted from not attending school in person in the past year,” Tan said.

Attending online school has resulted in a lack of motivation, problems for some children and a feeling of isolation among the children.

Almost 25% of parents whose children attended a virtual school reported deterioration in their mental or emotional health, compared to 16% of parents whose children attended school in person, according to a CDC study.

The trend also continued for parents, with 54% of parents of children enrolled in virtual learning reporting emotional distress, compared with 37% of parents of children attending school in person.

Only about 27% of parents of children under 12 say they will have their child vaccinated, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 27% say that they “certainly will not” vaccinate their child.

About half of parents surveyed in KFF data say they are worried about the potential side effects of the vaccine.

“We need to do something beyond just saying ‘go get yourself vaccinated’, and I don’t know if the incentives have worked so well, but mandates are pushing people,” Dr Preeti Malani, director of health at the ‘University of Michigan said on call.

According to Kaiser’s data, around 61% of parents of children under the age of 18 are not in favor of mandatory vaccines in schools.

With most school-aged children unvaccinated, doctors say masking and social distancing remain the best options for in-person learning.

“If there is no mask mandate at school or if the school has made masks optional, you have to send your child to school with a mask,” Tan said.