New Social Distancing Guidelines Could Get NJ Kids Back In Class

NEW JERSEY - President Joe Biden is pushing, along with nearly every parent in the Garden State, to get students back in their classrooms, and a change to the social distancing guidelines being pondered by the Centers for Disease Control could make it possible sooner.

Many public schools in the Garden State are finding it difficult to accommodate a full return if six feet of social distancing is required. This sticking point is often pointed out as a main contributor behind many schools offering hybrid schedules and cohorts.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said at the White House COVID-19 briefing on Monday that they are looking at that data "very carefully."

"The six feet data came from early studies, with and without masks, from all other - from respiratory viruses, flu viruses, as well as SARS, and other coronavirus," she said. " How far aerosols and droplets can travel in that context. As soon as we put out our guidance, among the biggest challenges that we were aware of was the fact that schools were having a hard time with the six-foot guidance.

New Study

Walensky noted that prompted more studies to say: Is six feet necessary in the context of mask wearing?

The first study that has been published that looked at three feet versus six feet was done in Massachusetts schools and published March 10 in the Oxford Academic. That study demonstrated that students, when there was 100 percent mask wearing, had similar infection rates when it - at six feet versus three feet, as well as staff had similar infections rate at six feet versus three feet when they were masked.

We are looking at these data carefully. The question actually prompted more studies to be done, so we know more are forthcoming," she said. "We're taking all of those data carefully and revisiting our guidance in that context."

Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines suggest that desks a minimum of three feet apart, but should be six feet if possible. The World Health Organization says that in areas with community transmission of COVID-19, at least 1 meter of distance should be maintained. That is about 3.28 feet.

In Sync

When it comes to the pandemic response in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has not adhered to the WHO or the APA in terms of the data being used to drive the policy. But the CDC has been the primary guiding influence of his administration.

Last week, when the CDC issues new guidelines for vaccinated people, Murphy was the first to say New Jersey would be following them.

"We've been pretty much adherent to the CDC guidance from Day 1," Murphy said. "We're one of the states that has basically in sync with them and I suspect you'll see us in sync here."

You can watch the full briefing below.

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