Opening school buildings doesn’t increase the spread of COVID-19 in places where cases or hospitalizations from the virus are rare, according to two new studies.
Reopening schools in areas with higher caseloads, though, does spread the virus, one found, while the other couldn’t rule out that possibility. It remains unclear exactly at what point school reopening becomes more risky.
The papers are the most rigorous efforts yet to understand the link between schools and COVID spread in the U.S. It’s research that could guide school officials and health officials grappling with whether to reopen or keep open school buildings. But there aren’t simple answers for places with higher numbers, at a moment when some counties are seeing COVID cases peak.
“It appears that, when hospitalizations rates are low, it is safe to reopen schools in person,” said Douglas Harris, a professor at Tulane University who co-authored one of the studies, which examined national data. “This is important given the side effects of closure for students, such as limiting access to essential services, social isolation, and learning loss.”
At the same time, his co-author Engy Zieden warned that these conclusions don’t apply everywhere. “Given the recent spike in hospitalizations in recent months, policymakers should be cautious,” she said. “It may not be safe to reopen schools where the virus is already widespread.”
The national study, released Monday, examined whether opening schools increased COVID hospitalization rates in surrounding communities. The answer was no, up to a CONTINUE READING: Do schools spread COVID? It depends on the community, new studies suggest - Chalkbeat
