toget them back in class.
So I asked her a few questions about how she prepped himand her householdto best keep everyone protected.
Below, her best advice on how to keep kids safe from COVID-19 this school year.
Well+Good: Lets start by establishing the precautions your sons preschool is taking.
Are there vaccine and mask mandates in place?
Kids wear masks the entire day, inside and outside.
Shira Shafir, PhD, is an associate professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
But even when theyre napping, they socially distance cots to ensure six feet of distance between the kids.
The preschool teachers are also required to be vaccinated.
The biggest thing for us was a mask that he would be able to wear all day comfortably.
For kids, it can be a challenge to find the right one.
And then, in our specific circumstances, dinosaurs were a must.
Thedatahas shown that children who consistently wear masksas long as they have multiple layers and they fitare well-protected.
They dont have to be N95 masks.
But for now, I feel comfortable with him incloth masks.
We talked about mask-wearing and hand washing.
Shira Shafir, PhD, is an associate professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
So those were the big things.
And then the school itself has really good procedures in place.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
Are there any precautions you take when he gets home?
Really, were sort of relying on other measures happening at the school to reduce the risk of exposure.
There are five primary things that can be done in school-based prefs to reduce the risk of COVID.
The first is mask wearing all the time inside.
The second is vaccination of everybody eligible.
It also might mean the students, if they are over the age of 12 and eligible for vaccination.
Good ventilation is absolutely key.
And then finally, the utilization of contact tracing and case investigation tools is important.
All of these things together can help really keep kids at low risk during face-to-face instruction.
I think wiping down high-touch surfaces isnt going to hurt.
So vaccination is incredibly important.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
