Masks recommended in US schools for everyone over 2 yrs

Washington, July 20

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended wearing of masks in schools for everyone over two years of age, regardless of their vaccination status.

"AAP recommends universal masking because a significant portion of the student population is not yet eligible for vaccines, and masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated," the Agency said in a statement on Monday Many schools will not have a system to monitor vaccine status of students, teachers and staff, and some communities overall have low vaccination uptake where the virus may be circulating more prominently, Xinhua news agency quoted the AAP statement as saying.

It called for prioritising in-person learning and urged all who are eligible to be vaccinated to protect against Covid-19.

Monday's development comes over a week after The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new guidance urging schools to fully reopen in the fall regardless of whether all mitigation measures can be implemented.

In the new guidance issued on July 9, the CDC said that vaccinated teachers and students do not need to wear masks inside school buildings.

It also recommended schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk.

Schools across the US started to close in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and many students were shifted to online learning at home. IANS

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