July 12, 2021 – School could also be closed for the summer, however the CDC meeting continues to be ongoing. The agency recently released updated guidance encouraging in-person learning when K-12 students return in the autumn and relaxed mask recommendations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Children and youth benefit from in-person learning, and a safe return to in-person schooling in fall 2021 is a priority,” the CDC said in a July 9 statement.
Why now? The federal agency points to the “wide availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 12 and older.” [as well as] recent declines in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
However, some states are already saying they are going to proceed to impose a mask requirement. Take California, for instance, where health officials said masks will still be required in schools despite latest CDC guidelines.
“Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with the provision of fully in-person instruction,” said Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency Los Angeles Times. “As we begin the new year, students should be able to enter school without worrying about feeling different or being excluded because of being vaccinated or not. Treating all children equally contributes to a calm and supportive school environment.”
However, in line with the CDC, mask requirements are still advisable for everybody ages 2 and older, including students who will not be vaccinated.
“While fewer children have contracted COVID-19 compared to adults, children can become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, become ill with COVID-19, spread the virus to others, and have serious consequences,” it says the CDC statement.
“As a parent and family doctor, I am worried. I had a feeling that this decision would come soon. I have children under 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination and it is unclear to me when the vaccination will take place.” [FDA’s emergency use authorization] will probably be expanded to your entire pediatric population. “Young people are among the last to get vaccinated,” says Dr. Priya Nori, an infectious disease physician at Montefiore Health System within the Bronx, New York.
“This group, as well as other unvaccinated populations, is driving the spread of the Delta variant in the United States. Given the low vaccination rate and the rising rates of the highly transmissible Delta variant, how can we be convinced that lifting the mask requirement in schools is the right thing to do?” Decision? It also puts our educators in an unfair position. These decisions were also not supported by instructions to make sure vaccination status in schools,” she says.
The federal agency still requires no less than three feet of distance between student desks — up from the six feet advisable before March 2021.
“Maintaining at least 3 feet of distance between students in classrooms could be a viable definition of physical distancing as long as other prevention strategies are maximized,” the agency states in its report updated Science Brief Combating the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools.
This guidance continues to call for a layered approach to COVID-19 prevention, including well-known strategies resembling proper ventilation, hand hygiene, and staying home if symptoms occur or if exposed to someone prone to have COVID-19.
As before Steps the CDC has taken relaxing their COVID-19 guidelines isn’t without controversy. On Twitter, reactions to the CDC's post concerning the latest guidelines ranged from outrage to applause.
“I am somewhat disappointed with this decision and hope that the CDC would at least recommend a hybrid approach – masking during the respiratory virus season between fall and spring,” says Nori, who can be an associate professor of drugs and orthopedic surgery at Albert Einstein University is College of Medicine within the Bronx.
For example, Becky Cunningham, a mother of two, questioned how the policy for unvaccinated people to proceed wearing masks in schools will probably be enforced. “It's hard to trust people to just do the right thing and follow the rules/be honest!!” she tweeted.
Another tweet addressed the difficulty of enforcing the glory system for mask wearing. Ana Mercedes appeared to support the brand new suggestion: “This is great since my 17-year-old is vaccinated.”
Other parents of kids with underlying medical conditions or under the minimum age for vaccination of 12 were more concerned.
For example, “Eve” tweeted that the CDC’s latest guidelines were “ridiculously irresponsible.”
The CDC doesn’t require proof of vaccination for teachers or students. The agency also doesn’t specifically explain how schools can determine which students are vaccinated and which will not be, or how the wearing of masks will be enforced amongst unvaccinated people.
Instead, the CDC said it’s providing enough flexibility for local districts and schools to adapt guidance as needed to suit local circumstances.