Daily Covid-19 Minute: CDC School Guidance
The CDC has issued new guidance on classroom social distancing stating three feet of distance between students is sufficient assuming other safety measures are in place. This is the distance the "World Health Organization" has advised since the start of the pandemic.
The CDC examined data from 3 different studies to reach this decision. The first study is from Florida and looked at covid transmission in schools last year and found only 1% of registered students contracted Covid-19 while at school. The second study, from Utah, also found there was low covid transmission among students, even though the average distance between them in the classroom was 3 feet. Finally, a third study from Missouri found only 27% of schools were able to space desks 6 feet apart, but the incidence of covid spread there was incredibly low.
The shortened distance of three feet only works if other measures such as wearing a mask and improving ventilation are in place. Allowing students to be closer together in the classroom means more schools can open which is critical for our children.