A guide on what we know so far
An unused classroom at Karl Marx secondary school in Saxony-Anhalt, Gardelegen, in Germany. Due to the still comparatively tense Covid-19 situation, stricter rules apply in Saxony-Anhalt as well as nationwide. Schools are to remain in emergency operation until at least the end of January.
Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert | picture alliance | Getty Images
LONDON — The science around the link between children and the spread of the coronavirus is still evolving, but a growing body of evidence seems to suggest that kids attending school do play an important role in community transmission.
It comes at a time when the resurgent spread of Covid-19 has prompted most of Europe to adopt the strictest level of public health measures, with many countries in the region shutting schools as part of a broader plan to curb infection rates and alleviate the strain on already stressed health facilities.
The polarizing issue of whether schools should stay open is far from clear cut, with the World Health Organization urging policymakers to be guided by a risk-based approach to maximize the benefit for the population.
School closures have a clear negative impact on children’s health, the United Nations health agency has warned, citing setbacks to children’s education and development, family income and the overall economy.
At present, the exact timing of how long schools will need to remain a least partially closed, and when they may be able to fully re-open, remains to be seen.
Does shutting schools slow the spread?
A study carried out by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich determined that Switzerland’s decision to shut schools last March was responsible for cutting mobility by 21.6%.
The study, published Sunday and has not yet been peer-reviewed, found school closures ranked third in reducing mobility nationwide — and therefore Covid transmission.
A ban on gatherings of more than five people was shown to be the most effective policy tool, cutting mobility by around a quarter, while the closure of restaurants, bars and non-essential shops caused people to reduce total trips by 22.3%.
Teachers in a queue waiting to have their Covid testing done. A group of teachers who are to start working in the youngest grades 1 – 3 in primary schools are undergoing Covid-19 tests. (Photo by Alex Bona/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Alex Bona | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images
The study estimated that a reduction of 1% in human mobility predicted a 0.88% to 1.11% reduction in daily reported Covid cases, underscoring the effectiveness of shutting schools to slow the spread of the virus. It analyzed telecommunication data consisting of 1.5 billion trips taken by Swiss residents between Feb. 10 to April 26 last year.
“Studies from interventions across hundreds of countries across the globe have consistently shown that school closures are associated with a reduction in R, and openings with an increase,” Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at…
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