In considering the many benefits for children, Bay Area Health officials reaffirmed their support for reopening schools in California so that millions of students in all grades can have a full-time, face-to-face return to the classroom this fall term.
Through a joint statement, the officials also endorsed the Bay Area County School Superintendents' recent statement in favor of a safe return to the classroom.
"As Bay Area health officials, we are thrilled that more than one million K-12 students are returning to school for face-to-face learning this fall," representatives from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Berkeley counties said in a statement.
The sudden increase in cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations this summer due to the spread of the Delta variant "is making people cautious about going back to school," they said.
"We know that when COVID rates are high in our communities, cases will show up in schools, just as they do in other settings," they said.
However, they detailed that effective protocols, including universal use of facemasks indoors, vaccination of eligible persons, testing, good hand hygiene, staying home when sick, and adequate ventilation, can prevent the spread of the disease in school settings.
"The risks and benefits of returning to face-to-face learning are clearer now than at any time during this pandemic; we must all continue to do all we can to keep children in school safely," they stressed.
In turn, they noted that the lack of face-to-face learning during the COVID-19 pandemic not only disrupted education, but also weakened social supports and damaged students' mental health.
While children can contract COVID-19, severe disease among children is rare and deaths are extremely rare, they noted.
"Transmission can occur in any setting, including schools, but children are often exposed to COVID-19 at home or in social settings where safety practices vary."
They recalled that the COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, School Year 2021-22The new curriculum, which emphasizes universal implementation of the most important safety measures, while offering the flexibility from different approaches to meet the needs and capabilities of a wide range of schools and districts seeking to keep children in classrooms safely.
Finally, they detailed that they have worked hard in the Bay Area to implement this guide and today they are ready to welcome the students.
They said they will continue to closely monitor the data and work throughout the region and state to adapt to different situations that may arise when necessary to have a safe return to the classroom.
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