U.S. CDC updates school guidance to emphasize in-person learning

July 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday updated its guidance for U.S. schools reopening in the fall, recommending masking indoors for everyone who is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and three feet of distance within classrooms.

The agency said school administrators can require indoor mask use even for students and educators who are vaccinated, depending on the needs of the community. Reasons would include schools with children under age 12, who are not currently authorized to receive COVID-19 vaccines, or high rates of COVID-19 transmission in the region.

"The guidance does reflect the fact that vaccination makes it easier to conduct school in person, which should be the default," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University. But it involves "a lot of hedging and risk calculation," he added.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cdc-recommends-masking-indoors-unvaccinated-students-teachers-us-schools-2021-07-09/