State officials recommend CDC school COVID-19 guidance for fall
With students, families, and K-12 educators preparing for the start of the 2021-22 school year amid concerns about an uptick in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant, health and education officials are recommending that schools follow the CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools this fall. These best practice recommendations reflect the current state of the pandemic as well as the importance of in-person learning.
The guidance document, Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools for the 2021-22 School Year (PDF) (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/schoolrecs.pdf) highlights CDC best practice recommendations for implementing layered prevention strategies (using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated. Among the specific points covered in the guidance:
All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated.
All students, teachers, staff, and visitors in school buildings should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status in order to protect those who cannot yet be vaccinated or who remain at higher risk because of immune-comprised status or other conditions. . .