Data that suggest a ‘three feet’ social distancing rule is under consideration, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, the foremost infectious disease expert in the US.
To control COVID transmission, the World Health Organization recommends social distancing at one metre (3.3 feet), and a three feet distance used in some schools in the US is based on this. When asked about the new report on a CNN programme on Sunday, Dr Fauci agreed the data appeared to indicate that three feet is sufficient.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not currently recommend a rule change, Dr Fauci said that the report is being reviewed by them.
“What the CDC wants to do is accumulate data, and when data shows ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly,” Dr Fauci said, adding that its director, Dr Rochelle Walensky, was aware of the new research, with the CDC also conducting its own studies. “I don’t want to get ahead of official guidelines,” he added.
The researchers, who controlled for community rates of coronavirus in their analysis, concluded that lower physical distancing policies can safely be adopted in school settings, as long as other measures like universal masking are in place.
The study compared COVID infection rates among staff and students across 242 school districts in the state of Massachusetts, and found that schools with a three feet social distancing rule did not have a significantly different rate of transmission compared to those with the standard six feet rule.
However, there is a limitation to COVID monitoring in school-aged populations. While children may be infected as readily from COVID, they are less likely to develop illness from COVID, and so they are also less likely to get tested.
Source: NY Times
