Fortune, chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explained that bars and schools “are places where people are congregated, and even with the best intentions it’s hard to keep kids apart from one another and hard to keep them in their masks,” she said in response to a question from the Houston Chronicle. In addition, Fortune noted that in both places there is “a lot of mixing of people that may be asymptomatic carriers.” It’s this fact, specifically, that makes her think that things like social distancing, wearing masks, and other personal safety measures alone won’t be enough to consider schools safe to reopen for some time. “I don’t think we can rely on those risk mitigation strategies alone to protect us once schools open,” she said.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. But with the start of the new school year only a matter of weeks away in most parts of the country, what does this mean for parents, students, and education professionals? Will schools be able to safely open this fall? Fortune says, while everyone of course wants schools to reopen and for students to get the face-to-face education experience they’d long been accustomed to prior to a few months ago, it’s not a simple decision. However, one factor to focus on that would make doing so much safer is testing. “We need to really think about test capacity and getting testing into schools,” Fortune said. “Because otherwise, I think it could be the equivalent of reopening bars in and across communities.” And for more insights from Fortune, check out Here’s When You’re No Longer at Risk of Getting COVID, Harvard Doctor Says.
