Three Feet or Six Feet Don’t Make a Difference As Long As Masks Are On

Retrospective statewide study found no significant differences in COVID-19 case rates between K-12 districts that implemented 3 feet versus 6 feet of physical distancing rules.

Physician-researchers aimed to find optimal physical distance required between students to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools now that they are planned on being opened.

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‘Schools adopting lower physical distancing policies with masking mandates will not adversely impact student or staff safety’
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The research team compared COVID-19 case rates in students and staff from 251 Massachusetts school districts where masks were mandatory, but they had different physical distancing requirements. The districts had 537,336 students and 99,390 staff who had attended a 16-week study period from September 2020 to January 2021.

Findings revealed no significant difference in the number of COVID-19 cases among either students or staff. Results suggest that schools adopting lower physical distancing policies with masking mandates will not adversely impact student or staff safety.

Polly Van Der Berg, lead author, said, "This research is important because many school buildings have physical infrastructure that cannot accommodate six feet of distancing and bring all (or most) students back into the classroom."

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Westyn Branch-Elliman, corresponding author, commented, "These data can be used to inform and update how infection control plans are implemented in school settings.”

The researchers point out that physical distancing was only one of several infection prevention measures taken by school districts.

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Results also showed that schools, in general, had lower overall rates of infection than their surrounding communities, adding to the idea that in-person learning is not a large contributor to the pandemic. But the case rates of districts were closely linked to those of the community, staff in particular.

Branch-Elliman adds, "Early in the pandemic, infection control plans for schools and other settings were developed based on the best available but limited evidence at the time. We hope that our findings can be used to update current recommendations about distancing policy and help return more students to the classroom."

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Source-Medindia