The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that fully vaccinated teachers, students and staff can return back to K-12 schools without wearing masks.
The health agency updated its school guidance to help guide state and local officials as well as administrators prepare for the fall term. The CDC said people two and up who are unvaccinated should continue to wear masks in school, particularly in indoor and crowded settings. Students and teachers should also try maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance to reduce transmission, according to the updated guidelines.
The guidance states that schools unable to reopen because they can’t maintain appropriate spacing can consider other strategies, including indoor masking, testing and enhanced ventilation.
The new guidelines mark the first time the CDC has recommended that fully vaccinated students and teachers do not need to wear masks in the classroom. The updates come amid an increasing number of Covid-19 cases linked to the more-transmissible Delta variant in states across the South, Southwest and Midwest.
Depending on the levels of community spread and vaccination rates, schools may decide to universally mandate masks, the CDC said, adding that it is up to local officials to decide the best way to reduce and contain the virus.
“Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the Covid-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports,” the CDC said in a statement
Read more here.
Leave a Reply