U.S. health officials released new guidance for reopening schools Friday, saying schools can safely reopen by adhering to five key mitigation strategies.
The new guidance emphasizes “consistent and correct” use of masks, social distancing, handwashing, cleaning and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. The guidance does not require school staff to have access to vaccinations in order to return for in-person instruction.
“CDC is not mandating that schools reopen,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a call Friday. “These recommendations simply provide schools a long-need roadmap.”
The guidance also outlines, for the first time, which instruction model, such as in-person or hybrid, schools should implement based on the level of transmission in their community. Biden has said he aims to have most public schools open within his first 100 days in office. He’s at Day 23.
On Thursday, some students returned to classrooms in the nation’s third-largest school district, following a standoff between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union. And in San Francisco, the city filed a lawsuit to push its school district to reopen classrooms. The number of suicidal children in the city has hit a record high, and health experts say it is clear that keeping public schools closed “is catalyzing a mental health crisis among school-aged children.”
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In the headlines:
►The United States reported dozens more coronavirus variant cases Thursday night, showing further reach of viruses that can spread more easily, dodge some treatments and immunities, or both. Known variant cases in the U.S. have more than doubled since Jan. 31, and have increased five-fold since Jan. 22.
►President Joe Biden on Thursday announced completion of a deal to purchase an additional 200 million coronavirus vaccine doses, fulfilling an agreement he outlined two weeks ago. “We’ve now purchased enough vaccine supplies to vaccinate all Americans,” Biden said during a visit to the National Institutes of Health.
►After weeks of vaccine distribution being largely limited to hospitals, health systems and local health departments, COVID-19 vaccines are poised to roll out Friday at major pharmacies, including the nation’s two largest chains, CVS and Walgreens.
►Los Angeles is temporarily closing five mass vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, due to a lack of supply. Smaller mobile vaccination clinics will stay open, but the mass vaccination sites are to remain shuttered until the city gets more supply, possibly Tuesday or Wednesday. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Los Angeles uses about 13,000 doses in a typical day but received only 16,000 this week.
►Mask wearing will be needed for “several, several months” even as vaccinations roll out, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Once 75-80% of the population is vaccinated, the country can “start pulling back a bit on what are stringent public health measures,” he added.
►The New York Times reported Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to let Moderna increase the number of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine that it puts into each vial from 10 to 14. The Times reported that the change, which could boost the nation’s vaccine supply by 20%, could take effect before the end of April.
►The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that all hypotheses into the origins of the coronavirus were still being investigated and analyzed after a team of WHO investigators said earlier this week that the theory that the virus leaked from a virology lab in Wuhan would no longer be pursued. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the team’s summary report would be released next week.
Read More: CDC school guidance; US variant cases; Trump ventilator