The CDC has quietly released detailed guidance for reopening America.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a 60-page document for reopening schools, mass transit and nonessential businesses that had been shut down in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
This document, dated only as May and posted on the website without a formal announcement, comes after some states announced they would lift stay-at-home orders and begin reopening parts of their economies. It outlines a “three-phased approach” for reducing social distancing and proposes the use of six “gating” indicators to assess when to move through another phase.
“While some communities will progress sequentially through the reopening phases, there is the possibility of recrudescence in some areas,” the CDC wrote in its guidance. “Given the potential for a rebound in the number of cases or level of community transmission, a low threshold for reinstating more stringent mitigation standards will be essential.”
Schools and kindergartens
The guidelines state that: “Schools can determine, in collaboration with state and local health officials to the extent possible, whether and how to implement these considerations while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community,” the CDC guidelines say. “Implementation should be guided by what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of each community.”
Also recommended
- Wearing of face masks for older students (children under two are advised not to wear masks) and staff members, this is particularly recommended in cases when physical distancing isn’t possible.
- Encourage teaching and support staff along with pupils to refrain from coming to the educational centre if ill or having been close contact with someone who is sick.
- Promote good hygiene practices such as regular handwashing for at least 20 seconds, making hand sanitizer available in the absence of soap and water, and sneezing into tissues.
- Encourage students to bring their own individual daily food supplies in a lunch box.
- Encourage a policy of tiered drop-off and pickup times to ensure the avoidance of areas of overcrowding at the same time.
