Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some Schools Cut Social Distancing Down To 3 Feet; CDC May Follow Suit
Fox News: CDC Could 'Soon' Ease School Distancing Guidelines To 3 Feet
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could "soon" ease its coronavirus-related physical distancing guidelines for in-person learning from six-feet to three, researchers tell Fox News. A researcher among those who recently penned an opinion piece claiming the CDC misinterpreted findings, including data on safe distancing in the classroom, told Fox News an unnamed CDC employee expects a shift in the agency’s guidance "soon." (Rivas, 3/11)
Bay Area News Group: COVID: Studies Show Students Are Safe With Less Distancing
Now, health experts and many parents are calling on the California Department of Public Health to revise its six-foot guidance, as Illinois and Massachusetts have done, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Our evidence shows schools are operating similarly safely with three feet and not six,” said Emily Oster, an economics and public policy professor at Brown University who was among the authors of a study out this week. It found no significant difference in K-12 student and staff infection rates in Massachusetts public schools whether they had implemented three-foot or six-foot student spacing when other measures such as universal masking were implemented. (Woolfolk, 3/11)
In other school news —
AP: UT To Return To 'Fully In-Person' Campus Starting In Fall
The University of Tennessee on Thursday announced that it will return to a “fully in-person campus experience” in Knoxville starting in the fall. According to a news release, this will include in-person teaching in classrooms at capacity, normal campus housing, reopening dining halls and allowing more fans at athletic events. (3/12)
AP: NC Bill To Return More Students To Classrooms Becomes Law
North Carolina elected leaders finalized a directive on Thursday that will put more K-12 students in classrooms five days a week by telling all districts to offer in-person instruction no later than early April. The order was contained in legislation that Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law hours after the House approved the bill unanimously. The Senate gave it a similar vote on Wednesday. The Democratic governor and Republican legislators negotiated the compromise legislation, which resolved issues that prompted Cooper to veto a previous school-reopening measure nearly two weeks ago. (Robertson, 3/12)
Axios: The Pandemic's Toll On Teens
The pandemic has been hard on everyone, but the impact on teenagers has been uniquely profound. High schoolers spent much of the past year isolated and on the sidelines, and that lack of human connection combined with shortened or canceled sports seasons has taken a devastating toll. (Tracy, 3/11)
