(CBS News) After almost a year of virtual learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, Philadelphia’s youngest students will see the inside of a classroom in February. “We’ve relied on science and data to help inform every step that we’ve taken to develop and implement a plan,” superintendent William Hite said.
The reopening comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced there’s little evidence of coronavirus transmission in schools if precautions are followed. In addition to face masks, physical distancing and increased room ventilation, schools need to limit risky activities like indoor sports and restricting indoor dining.
Dr. Joseph Allen, the director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, called school closures “a national emergency.”