In-person learning during the pandemic is possible, study says

In-person learning during the pandemic is possible, study says

 

Many parents and caregivers remain worried about the safety of their children in schools amid the pandemic, but experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that with the right mitigation measures, there is a path to low-risk, in-person learning.   In one study published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,  researchers from Wisconsin and California examined 17 K-12 schools in rural Wood County, Wisconsin, that conducted in-person learning this fall. It found lower Covid-19 case rates than in the larger community and few cases of in-school transmission.   Of 5,530 students and staff, 191 tested positive for Covid-19. The researchers found that Covid-19 case rates in schools were 37% lower than the surrounding community.   The schools did not conduct routine Covid-19 screening, but they implemented mitigation measures such as requiring masks, implementing social distancing and limiting time in shared indoor spaces.   The schools also established cohorts of 11 to 20 students from the same grade level. They met for classes and lunch indoors, where students were often seated next to the same person. Cohorts were asked not to mix, and the researchers found no in-school transmission between different cohorts.   When a student or staff member tested positive for the virus, school officials used interviews to identify close contacts – anyone who was within 6 feet of the person for longer than 15 minutes over the course of 24 hours. Those close contacts were required to quarantine at home, and if they developed symptoms during that time, officials investigated whether in-school spread was the cause.   The team says their findings suggest that even with varying positivity rates in the community, students are not necessarily at increased risk for the virus if they attend in-person classes. In fact, they say that being in a monitored environment such as the classroom may increase adherence to public health measures.