Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Top US Health Body Says Schools Can Re-Open, Issues Covid Guidelines

Top US Health Body Says Schools Can Re-Open, Issues Covid Guidelines

The strategy emphasizes universal masking, handwashing, and disinfection, as well as contact tracing, but spent relatively little time on the subject of ventilation, despite this being the virus' main transmission route.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new guidelines urging schools to reopen safely and as soon as possible, while offering a detailed plan for limiting the spread of Covid-19.

The strategy emphasizes universal masking, handwashing, and disinfection, as well as contact tracing, but spent relatively little time on the subject of ventilation, despite this being the virus' main transmission route.

While it recommends vaccination for teachers and staff as soon as supply is available, it stops short of saying it is necessary -- a divisive issue among teachers' unions.

"CDC is releasing an operational strategy for K - 12 schools, through phased mitigation that provides a pathway to support schools in opening for in person instruction and remaining open," the agency's director Rochelle Walensky told reporters.

The document recommends different approaches depending on the level of community transmission in a given area, defined by the number of new cases per hundred thousand in the past seven days.

Because younger children are at lower risk than older children, it recommends that in areas of substantial transmission (50 to 99 new cases per 100k), middle and high schools should switch to hybrid learning.

Where transmission is defined as high (more than 100 new cases per 100k), middle and high schools should move to virtual instruction only unless the schools are already open, have few cases and are implementing mitigation strategies.

In-person learning is emphasized over sports and school events, and schools are strongly encouraged to use cohorting or podding to facilitate contact tracing.

In developing the plan, the CDC said equity considerations were a key driver.

"The absence of in-person educational options may disadvantage children from low-resourced communities, which may include large representation of racial and ethnic minority groups, English learners, and students with disabilities," the plan said.

During a briefing call, Walensky said that while children can become infected with the coronavirus and contract Covid-19, "less than 10 percent of Covid-19 cases in the US have been among children and adolescents between the ages of five and 17."

What's more, children and adolescents are thought to be less commonly infected with the virus than adults, and in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.

"Students are not the primary sources of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among adults in school settings," she said.

"Evidence suggests that staff to staff transmission is more common than transmissions from students to staff, staff to students, or students to students."

It remains to be seen how powerful teachers unions in major cities respond to the guidelines.

Schools in politically liberal parts of the country have been more reluctant to open than in areas that are politically conservative.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
×