New CDC school guidance changes little for local districts
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — While some schools are celebrating new CDC guidance suggesting students can sit closer together in classrooms, Colorado Springs and Pueblo school districts will reportedly follow state recommendations instead.
On Friday, the CDC said three feet of distance in schools is effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
KRDO spoke with Todd Seip, a spokesperson for Pueblo School District 70. They’re preparing for a full in-person return to schools on April 5.
“Students still need to be masked, we’re still going to ask them to maintain their social distance, one-way hallways, a lot of hand-washing,” said Seip. “Exposure tracing, contact tracing, all of that is still in play.”
However, Seip says in many cases, students were already slated to sit 3 feet apart. Colorado’s guidance suggests students sit 6 feet apart if possible, but 3 feet is also accepted:
"Physical Distance (applies more strongly to middle and high school settings)
- 6-foot between-student spacing reduces disease transmission risk and should be preferred;
- 3-foot distancing still provides substantial benefits and is acceptable in the context of a comprehensive disease control strategy."
"We’re going to do our best to move those classes to other classrooms or different areas, to make sure those students are at least 3 feet apart," said Seip.
Spokespeople in school districts 2, 12, and 20 also confirmed students occasionally sit 3 feet apart already. Some classrooms have plexiglass to separate classmates.
However, a representative with the state of Colorado told KRDO the new CDC recommendations could affect contact tracing.
Close contact is defined as someone closer than 6 feet from you for longer than 15 minutes. So if classrooms quit attempting 6 feet of separation altogether, it will likely mean more students and staff will be considered close contacts.
