Latest COVID guidelines for schools from the CDC

COVID-19 cases are increasing in North Carolina.

At the same time, schools across the state have started or are preparing to start the new school year.

In March, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) released updated guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

“Each year, respiratory viruses are responsible for millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States,” the CDC’s website states. “In addition to the virus that causes COVID-19, there are many other types of respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The good news is that you can take steps to protect yourself and others from health risks from respiratory viruses.”

In May, the CDC also released updated guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID in schools, consistent with its respiratory disease guidelines.

“CDC has updated actions schools can take to prevent the spread of germs and keep children healthy and educated,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said at the time. “This update translates the lessons learned into actionable steps schools can follow to keep our children, teachers, and school staff safe.”

See the updated policies below.

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To prevent diseases

The CDC’s updated guidelines include recommendations for respiratory disease prevention strategies:

• Remain up to date with vaccinations to protect people from serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV, if you are eligible.
• Practice good hygiene For example, by covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing or disinfecting your hands frequently, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Measures for cleaner airfor example by supplying more fresh outside air, cleaning the indoor air or gathering outdoors.

“We must continue to use the common sense solutions that we know work to protect ourselves and others from serious illness from respiratory viruses – including vaccination, treatment and staying home when we get sick,” Cohen said.

For exposures

The new guidelines do not provide specific advice on what to do if you come into contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 or another respiratory virus.

However, the CDC lists the following prevention strategies on its website in addition to those listed above:

For infected people

The CDC recommends, “Stay home and avoid others if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection.” This includes staying away from people you live with who are not sick.

According to the updated guidance, you can return to your normal activities if both conditions apply for at least 24 hours:

• Your symptoms improve overall and
• They had no fever (without taking medication).

However, the CDC recommends taking “extra precautions” over the next five days, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, practicing social distancing and getting tested when you are indoors with other people. Other preventive measures include cleaner air and good hygiene.

“This is especially important to protect people who have factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses,” the CDC’s website says. “Remember that even if you’re feeling better, you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick. Depending on factors such as how long you’ve been sick or the severity of your illness, you’re probably less contagious right now.”

If you develop a fever or feel worse after returning to your normal activities, stay home and avoid others until you have had at least 24 hours of both overall improvement in your symptoms and no fever (and are not taking fever-reducing medications), then take extra precautions for the next 5 days.

The CDC website.

If you have never had symptoms but have tested positive for a respiratory virus, the CDC recommends taking the same precautions for five days.

“For COVID-19, an antigen test can help you find out how likely you are to spread the virus. A positive test usually means you are more likely to be able to spread the virus to others,” the website says.

You can read the full guidelines on the CDC website and find answers to frequently asked questions here.

Guide for schools

These are the guidelines the CDC published in May for schools regarding prevention and hygiene:

• Provide cleaner air by increasing airflow, purifying the air, or moving gatherings outdoors. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring existing HVAC systems provide minimum ventilation with outside air, opening windows, and using portable air purifiers.
• Follow routine cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing procedures. Typically, this means cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects daily.
• Teach and reinforce proper hand washing.
• Teach and reinforce proper respiratory hygiene to students and place tissues in places where they are easily accessible.
• Inform staff, students and families about recommended vaccinations and consider offering vaccinations on-site.

The CDC has also issued the following tips for schools regarding infections:

• Advise students and staff to stay home if they are sick, especially if they have a fever or symptoms of a respiratory infection.
• Use personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for sick children.
• Consider using additional strategies for “periods of increased disease activity”: mask and respiratory protection, increased distancing and cohorting, disease surveillance, testing, and exposure management.

Basic infection prevention strategies are important strategies that schools can use on a daily basis. For additional strategies, schools, with support from local health authorities, should consider the local context when selecting strategies to prioritize when implementing additional infection prevention strategies. Schools must balance the risk of infectious disease spread with the educational, social and mental health impacts when deciding which prevention strategies to implement. Care can be taken to ensure that decisions related to layered prevention strategies and learning options do not disproportionately impact any groups of people or exacerbate health and education inequalities.

CDC Guidance for Schools

“Schools provide safe, supportive environments, routines, and essential services that support the health and well-being of students,” the CDC’s website states. “Schools should have plans in place that can help reduce illness and sickness absence by preventing the spread of common infections. This guidance is intended to maximize school attendance and its benefits for all students while preventing the spread of infectious diseases.”

You can read the full guidelines for schools on the CDC website, and a fact sheet for parents and guardians can be found here.

Hannah Vinueza McClellan

Hannah Vinueza McClellan is a senior reporter at EducationNC, covering education news and policy and faith.