London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Top US Health Body Says Schools Can Re-Open, Issues Covid Guidelines

Top US Health Body Says Schools Can Re-Open, Issues Covid Guidelines

The strategy emphasizes universal masking, handwashing, and disinfection, as well as contact tracing, but spent relatively little time on the subject of ventilation, despite this being the virus' main transmission route.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new guidelines urging schools to reopen safely and as soon as possible, while offering a detailed plan for limiting the spread of Covid-19.

The strategy emphasizes universal masking, handwashing, and disinfection, as well as contact tracing, but spent relatively little time on the subject of ventilation, despite this being the virus' main transmission route.

While it recommends vaccination for teachers and staff as soon as supply is available, it stops short of saying it is necessary -- a divisive issue among teachers' unions.

"CDC is releasing an operational strategy for K - 12 schools, through phased mitigation that provides a pathway to support schools in opening for in person instruction and remaining open," the agency's director Rochelle Walensky told reporters.

The document recommends different approaches depending on the level of community transmission in a given area, defined by the number of new cases per hundred thousand in the past seven days.

Because younger children are at lower risk than older children, it recommends that in areas of substantial transmission (50 to 99 new cases per 100k), middle and high schools should switch to hybrid learning.

Where transmission is defined as high (more than 100 new cases per 100k), middle and high schools should move to virtual instruction only unless the schools are already open, have few cases and are implementing mitigation strategies.

In-person learning is emphasized over sports and school events, and schools are strongly encouraged to use cohorting or podding to facilitate contact tracing.

In developing the plan, the CDC said equity considerations were a key driver.

"The absence of in-person educational options may disadvantage children from low-resourced communities, which may include large representation of racial and ethnic minority groups, English learners, and students with disabilities," the plan said.

During a briefing call, Walensky said that while children can become infected with the coronavirus and contract Covid-19, "less than 10 percent of Covid-19 cases in the US have been among children and adolescents between the ages of five and 17."

What's more, children and adolescents are thought to be less commonly infected with the virus than adults, and in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.

"Students are not the primary sources of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among adults in school settings," she said.

"Evidence suggests that staff to staff transmission is more common than transmissions from students to staff, staff to students, or students to students."

It remains to be seen how powerful teachers unions in major cities respond to the guidelines.

Schools in politically liberal parts of the country have been more reluctant to open than in areas that are politically conservative.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×