CDC says students can sit three feet apart – instead of six

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says students can now sit three feet apart in classrooms rather than six feet.

In updated guidance released on Friday, the federal health agency said elementary school students can sit closer together as long as everyone wears masks – regardless of whether COVID-19 community transmission is low, moderate, substantial or high.

For middle and high school, pupils can also sit feet apart so long as mask use is universal, but only in areas where the spread of coronavirus is low, moderate, or substantial.

In neighborhoods where transmission is high, teenagers should sit at least six feet apart if they cannot cohort – which is when groups of students are kept together throughout the day to reduce spread. 

‘This recommendation is because COVID-19 transmission dynamics are different in older students – that is, they are more likely to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and spread it than younger children,’ the CDC wrote in its updated guidance. 

However, adults are still required to be six feet apart from each other and from students.

The adjustment could lead to some schools foregoing remote learning entirely and help them return to in-person classes.  

The CDC has updated it schools guidance and said students can sit three feet apart in classrooms rather than six feet. Pictured: CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky testifies before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill, March 18

The CDC has updated it schools guidance and said students can sit three feet apart in classrooms rather than six feet. Pictured: CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky testifies before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill, March 18

The updated recommendations come after a new study found no difference in COVID-19 cases rates among students or staff in districts that had students sitting three feet apart compared to six feet apart (above)

The updated recommendations come after a new study found no difference in COVID-19 cases rates among students or staff in districts that had students sitting three feet apart compared to six feet apart (above)

‘CDC is committed to leading with science and updating our guidance as new evidence emerges,’ said CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

‘Safe in-person instruction gives our kids access to critical 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, for in-person instruction.’ 

The new guidance come after a new study found there was no difference in COVID-19 case rates in districts where pupils sat further apart in classrooms compared to those where children sat closer together.

For the study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the team, led by Harvard University, looked at 251 Massachusetts school districts open for in-person learning in fall 2020.

In those districts, there are 37,336 students who attend classes and 99,390 teachers and other faculty members.

Between September 30 and January 7, 194 districts had students sitting a minimum of six feet apart and 49 had three feet of distance between desks. 

Next, the team compared COVID-19 cases rates among the districts during the autumn semester. 

Researchers found ‘no significant difference’ in coronavirus infection rates for either children or adults sitting six feet apart or three feet apart when universal mask wearing was in place.

The authors wrote that the findings mean ‘lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in school settings with masking mandates without negatively impacting student or staff safety.’ 

Additionally, the team found that rates of COVID-19 infections were lower in schools were lower than in the surrounding communities.

Experts say the updated recommendations could help some school forego remote learning and return to in-person teaching. Pictured:u00A0Students sitting six feet apart at the Sinaloa Middle School in Novato, California, March 2

Experts say the updated recommendations could help some school forego remote learning and return to in-person teaching. Pictured: Students sitting six feet apart at the Sinaloa Middle School in Novato, California, March 2

The study also found that rates of COVID-19 infections were lower in schools were lower than in the surrounding communities

The study also found that rates of COVID-19 infections were lower in schools were lower than in the surrounding communities

This suggests that school buildings may be safer locations for both students and teachers to be than in cities or towns.

The study authors noted that schools with desks only three feet apart would allow more students to be seated in each classroom.

It would also prevent children from having to stay home and do remote learning even if conditions for in-person learning are safe. 

The CDC added that that three studies published in the agency’s weekly report backed up the findings in the Massachusetts study. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends anywhere between three and six feet in schools while the World Health Organization recommends one meter, or 3.3 feet.

But not everyone agrees with updating the guidance.  

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told The New York Times, she is ‘very concerned’ about the guidelines potentially changing and said that school districts should instead find more space so that more students can attend sitting six feet apart.  

‘The problem is, it is a debate about convenience, not a debate about safety,’ Weingarten said.

‘All of a sudden, because we can’t squeeze in every single kid if it’s six feet that miraculously there’s now studies that say three feet are fine. And what’s going to happen is, people are just not going to trust it.’ 

Weingarten said this will make it difficult for schools to inset new protocols such as how students go to the bathroom.  

She added that she believes the CDC is currently under ‘a lot of outside pressure’ to revise the recommendations.  

The CDC still requires six feet of distance in common areas such as school lobbies and auditoriums, when students can’t wear masks such as during lunchtime, and during activities such as sports practice or band meetings.

In addition, on school buses, the agency suggests one child seated per row every other row and opening windows to increase ventilation. 

source: dailymail.co.uk