atlnon posted:This is an interesting read...
https://www.cdc.gov/coronaviru...r-school-closure.pdf
The most interesting part is as follows (although I encourage reading the full article, especially the table at the end that details the pro/con of each approach).
Available modeling data indicate that early, short to medium closures do not impact the epi curve of COVID-19 or available health care measures (e.g., hospitalizations). There may be some impact of much longer closures (8 weeks, 20 weeks) further into community spread, but that modelling also shows that other mitigation efforts (e.g., handwashing, home isolation) have more impact on both spread of disease and health care measures. In other countries, those places who closed school (e.g., Hong Kong) have not had more success in reducing spread than those that did not (e.g., Singapore).
Agreed it is interesting (thanks for sharing).
I don't know what to make of it. For one, it's very odd that CDC seems to be suggesting school closings won't help after offering no objection when schools were closing just a few days ago. I understand there may be new info, but to provide new official guidance now is really odd. I also agree with 22and25 that the reference to the effectiveness of "home isolation" seems directly at odds with keeping schools open.
And then there is the recommendation that schools "implement multiple social distancing strategies for gatherings, classrooms and movement through the building." How do you keep kids six feet apart in class, when desks are generally much closer together than that, and many classrooms are filled to capacity? How do you have HS students change classes but maintain six feet of separation in the halls? Lockers are next to each other, people are all trying to get from one place to another in a short interval between periods. Even at lunch time--not many schools I know of have space in their cafeterias to keep six feet of space in line, six feet between kids sitting at tables... Is CDC also suggesting restaurants should stay open? A school cafeteria is essentially a large restaurant.