The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States issued guidelines for the resumption of classes on the 12th, recommending that primary and secondary schools reopen as soon as possible under the premise of strictly implementing pandemic prevention measures.
This guidance on the resumption of classes is aimed at the basic education system of grade 12 and below, proposing virtual teaching, on-site teaching or a combination of teaching according to the degree of COVID-19 transmission in each school district.
The pandemic prevention measures mentioned in the guidelines include washing hands frequently, social distancing and disinfecting school facilities, with particular emphasis on the importance of wearing masks.
The guidelines also point out that teachers should not be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as a condition for the resumption of classes, but strongly recommends that states give priority to vaccinating teachers and staff.
The CDC has previously proposed many similar measures for the conditions for the resumption of classes, but the relevant language of this version of the guide is stronger.
Although it is not mandatory, the guide still recommends the strict implementation of the listed guidance.
“We believe that if we strictly abide by these guidelines we have proposed, we will contain the spread of [COVID-19] in schools,” CDC director Rochelle Valensky said at a press conference.
She said that students are not the main vulnerable group in the school environment.
There is evidence that COVID-19 spreads between faculty and staff more often than between students and staff, and between students and students.”
U.S. President Joseph Biden previously promised to bring most students in grades 8 and below back to class within 100 days of taking office.
On the 12th, he praised the guidelines for the resumption of classes issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying that the continued closure of schools may cause many problems, including affecting children’s mental health.
In addition, Biden said that schools need more funds to meet the CDC’s reopening requirements.
He called on Congress to quickly adopt the economic rescue package proposed by his government to provide more than 130 billion dollars in reopening funds to schools.
On January 14, Biden proposed an economic rescue plan totaling about $1.9 trillion to fight against the worsening coronavirus pandemic in the United States and promote economic recovery.
Under the plan, about $400 billion is spent on pandemic prevention and control, about $1 trillion is spent on grants to American families experiencing economic hardship, and about $440 billion is spent on assistance to small businesses, states and local governments.
