Concept
Takeaways from the Review
- There are few data available from the literature that can sufficiently guide countries on the use of school closures along with other social distancing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Currently, the evidence to support national school closures to combat COVID-19 is weak and data from influenza outbreaks suggests that school closures do not mitigate the effects of the virus because of "COVID-19's high transmissibility and the apparent low clinical effect on school children". Data also suggests that school closures can have profound economic and social consequences.
- More research is needed on the effectiveness of school closures and other school social distancing practices to inform COVID-19 related policies.
- Policy makers must strike the balance between protecting the health of populations and preventing economic and social disruption when choosing when and how to reopen schools.
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Updated 2020-08-08
Tags
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Biomedical Sciences