School closures didn’t prevent community spread of COVID-19: study

 

McMaster University researchers have found that when masking and vaccinations were used, schools were not a major source of COVID-19 transmission.

The research shows that children in daycares and students in elementary and high school can stay in the classroom when certain infection prevention and control measures are in place because removing them did not result in spikes of COVID-19 in the broader community.

Test-to-stay policies were also effective at mitigating COVID-19’s spread in schools and daycares. This allowed children who tested negative after a confirmed case in a class to attend school instead of having everyone be part of a two-week quarantine at home.

Measures such as cohorting and distancing policies, however, “didn’t seem to make as much of a difference,” Neil-Sztramko added, because of children’s inability to adhere to them in school settings.

Schools closure in response to COVID-19 lasted longer in Ontario than in any other province.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10300870/school-closures-ontario-not-prevent-covid-study/