The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all staff and students over the age of 2 wear facial coverings during the 2021-22 school year, including those who are fully vaccinated for the novel coronavirus.
The AAP interim guidance issued Sunday recommends a return to in-person schooling with masks, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its May 13 guidelines that fully vaccinated people may resume activities without masks in most settings.
The COVID-19 shots have only been authorized in most cases for those 12 and older, meaning that many K-12 students have not been vaccinated, said Dr. Sonja O’Leary, chair of the AAP Council on School Health Executive Committee.
“As we start the 2021-’22 school year, a large portion of students are not eligible to be vaccinated and there are COVID variants that are more contagious,” Dr. O’Leary said in a statement. “Because of this and because we want to have all students in school, the AAP advocates for all students, teachers and staff to wear masks while indoors in school.”
The guidance recommends that pediatricians promote a “layered approach that prioritizes attending school in person,” stressing that the “benefits of in-person school outweigh the risks in almost all circumstances.”
“Remote-learning highlighted inequities in education, was detrimental to the educational attainment of students of all ages, and exacerbated the mental health crisis among children and adolescents,” said the guidance.
The recommendations come with mask mandates and recommendations making a comeback to address a surge in cases spurred by the delta variant. About 48% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and 68% have received one dose.
The AAP strongly recommends in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year and urges all who are eligible to be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. Read more here: https://t.co/58L7GpE1JK pic.twitter.com/0BnvqVFpbh
— American Academy of Pediatrics (@AmerAcadPeds) July 19, 2021
Los Angeles County renewed its indoor mask mandate effective Sunday, a month after California reopened by lifting most of its COVID-19 restrictions.
The Southern Nevada Health District, which includes Las Vegas, recommended Friday that “both unvaccinated and vaccinated people wear masks in crowded indoor public places where they may have contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.”
The AAP guidance cited the difficulties associated with determining who is vaccinated and who isn’t, saying that “schools may lack the resources to monitor vaccine status or enforce mask policies based on vaccination status.”
Health, The New York Today
