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My point is that we have evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission in schools that have virtually no documented downsides: kn94 masks, ventilation, desk
by jasonlaramburu 5y ago
My point is that we have evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission in schools that have virtually no documented downsides: kn94 masks, ventilation, desk spacing, shots for staff.
- taeric 5y agoFor some of the ages we are talking about... I'd be surprised if those measures do anything. Speaking as a parent of kids under six. Many of them literally suck on the masks they are wearing... Edit: though, big plus one on the shots for staff. I take that as a given.
- jasonlaramburu 5y agoSometimes doing the right thing is hard. We need to give kids the right masks (it’s true, cloth masks don’t do anything, but multi layer/N94/95 do reduce transmission). We need to teach kids to wear them properly, and train staff to keep up with them. A small datapoint obviously, but my child’s (< age 6) school mandates at least 3 layer masks. The kids can choose patterns and designs to match their clothes and do fine wearing them. They have had zero covid cases since day 1.
- taeric 5y agoWhat day is it? And how often are you testing? Not just looking for symptoms, right? Edit: I should underscore that I agree with your opening points. Doing those things seems straight forward enough. I'm asking if we would still expect a rise in cases due to reintegration.
- jasonlaramburu 5y agoI would imagine we will. Georgia started school already. They have high caseload, no mask mandates and unsurprisingly schools are closing due to outbreaks.
- fullmoon 5y agoAfter the admission that cloth masks don’t do anything, we don’t need to speculate about N95 masks at all, we can just look at the countries which had a N95 (FFP2) mandate, namely Austria, or at the single German state which enacted a N95 mandate: Bavaria. If we compare Austria to it’s neighbors, or Bavaria to it’s sister states we see no effect.
- fullmoon 5y agoAdults are already very bad with correctly using N95/FFP2 masks when mandated to do so, I can’t imagine how kids would do.
- jasonlaramburu 5y agoWe already ask kids to do way more complex things than wear a mask. Ever tried playing the recorder? My child’s school provides training. It works.