Officials Mull CDC’s 3-Foot COVID-19 Guidelines, Some Cautiously

NEW HYDE PARK, NY— The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s relaxed COVID-19 classroom guidelines that reduces the space between desks to three feet was met with caution by some on Long Island Friday.

Under the new guidance, the CDC recommends reducing the space between desks from six to three feet in elementary schools, even in places where community spread is high, as long as face masks are worn, the Associated Press reported. The space can also be reduced to three feet in middle and high schools, unless there is high community spread, and in that case, there should be six feet between desks, the outlet reported.

The guideline now mirrors that of the World Health Organization which decided three feet was sufficient space last year, AP reported.

The CDC also recommends removing plastic shields or other special barriers because there is not a lot of evidence of the effectiveness, AP reported. In terms of other school settings, the CDC recommends that the six feet space should be maintained in scenarios where there are “a lot of people talking, cheering or singing,” and school staff members should also continue to maintain six feet apart, AP reported.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky described the new guidelines as a “roadmap to help schools reopen safely, and remain open, for in-person instruction.” Learning in the traditional classroom setting gives students “the education they need to succeed,” as well as the access to crucial social and mental health services, she said in AP’s report.

Greta Massetti, head of the CDC’s community interventions task force, said the agency was influenced in its decision by a recent study involving some schools that have already been following the three-foot guideline, AP reported. A study was recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, containing data from Massachusetts schools that have backed the three-foot guideline for months, AP previously reported. Illinois and Indiana are following suit, and Oregon is considering the same policy, according to the report.

Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, said that the study was “retrospective and only relied on COVID-19 cases that were independently done” and reported to the local Department of Health, but there was “no surveillance or evaluation for symptoms” that could have been due to the virus and were never evaluated.

He went on to say that the study was based on the policies of the schools under study, but it is not known what the compliance was with this policy.

“In summary, the policy is reasonable, but should be adjusted and reevaluated based on community and other local considerations,” he said. “Schools should remain open unless there are ongoing infections, and as much spacing as possible is always desirable. This is just the least amount that might be acceptable.”

Farber also noted that a much more “important determinant of the risk of COVID-19 spread in schools is the community rate of COVID and the use of masks.”

New York State Unified Teachers President Anthony Pallotta cautioned that older buildings have space limitations making COVID-19 mitigation strategies challenging, and opined that decisions on how to bring students back to the classroom safely should not be driven by politics, but science.

Pallotta said that “abrupt changes can undermine public trust and clarity,” and the union would like to “review in greater detail the science behind the CDC’s latest social distancing guidance.”

He went on to say that it is clear that “social distancing is only one element of a nuanced and multifaceted approach to COVID-19 mitigation in schools,” but mask wearing, cleaning, proper ventilation, contact tracing, testing, and vaccination are also very important.

“If anything, these other factors — especially the need for a robust COVID-19 testing in schools — become more important as social distancing guidance changes,” said Pallotta, who represents 600,000 teachers throughout the state.

“When it comes to changing local reopening plans, districts must work with educators and parents to maintain confidence in the safety of their buildings,” Pallotta said. “Those decisions must be based on the circumstances within each school and must carefully consider all aspects of a reasonable COVID-19 mitigation strategy. As public health officials have rightly cautioned, in the face of new variants and a race to make vaccinations widely available, this is not the time to let down our guard.”

Democratic Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said that she has been an advocate for getting children back in the classroom and believes that the new CDC guidance is a step in the right direction to fully reopen schools.

“While school districts may choose to have stricter protocols, the Nassau County Department of Health advises that our schools may follow the updated CDC guidance for distancing,” she said.

Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin posted AP’s story on the new guidelines on Facebook Friday, commenting: “All of America’s schoolchildren should have access today to full in-person learning.”

The Associated Press contributed additional reporting to this story.