Federal health officials on Friday announced updated guidelines for physical distance in schools, now saying students need to be only 1 meter apart instead of 6.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students can maintain a distance of three feet or more in classrooms as long as there is universal masking, a change that could speed school reopening.
The recommendation is for all K-12 students, regardless of whether community transfer is low, moderate, or substantial, the CDC said.
Middle school and high school students should be at least six feet apart in communities where transmission is high, the CDC said, if cohortation is not possible. Coherence is when groups of students are kept together with the same peers and staff throughout the school day to reduce the risk of spreading through the school. According to the CDC, older students are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 and spread it than younger children.
The CDC also recommends a 6-foot distance in common areas, such as lobbies and auditoriums, and during activities such as singing, shouting, band or sports.
Health officials have previewed the recommendations in recent days and said they will better reflect changing science.
“CDC is committed to being at the forefront of science and updating our guidelines as new evidence emerges,” said CDC director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky The Urgency To Maintain COVID-19 Testing In The Workplace Fauci: CDC Likely To Shorten Distance Guidance For Schools WATCH LIVE: Fauci, CDC Director To Testify About COVID-19 MORE said in a statement. “Safe personal instruction gives our children access to essential social and mental health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to succeed. These updated recommendations provide the evidence-based roadmap to help schools reopen safely and remain open to in-person instruction. ”
Three feet is the minimum distance approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. For many schools it is not feasible to keep students 6 feet apart. In some cases, there is no distance at all.
But teacher unions are unlikely to support the idea. While she said she would reserve judgment until the guide is read more accurately, president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said on CNN Friday that she is concerned that classrooms could become more crowded, especially in places without adequate ventilation.
The CDC’s push for a 6-foot distance was a flashpoint of the debate over the school’s reopening. The agency has recognized that personal education is not a major driver of community spread and that virus transmission in schools is rarer than in the surrounding community.
Still, last month’s most recent CDC guideline suggests that schools in communities with low or moderate virus transmission implement a distance of six feet “to the greatest extent possible.”
Walensky told members of the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee on Wednesday that the agency wanted to “update” its guidelines based on new data.
“As soon as our guidance came out, it became very clear that 6 feet was one of the things that kept schools closed, and in that context, science is evolving,” Walensky said.
Updated at 12:17 PM