[International] Is it Really a Good Idea to Close Schools to Fight the Coronavirus?

The coronavirus is dominating headlines and raising many questions over a proactive response towards the outbreak. This declared public health emergency has sparked a debate in the education system about whether schools should be closed as a preventive measure to stop the spread of the virus.

Until now, nearly 300 million students have been affected by school closures in at least 13 countries. Some universities, such as the University of Washington, Stanford University in California and Rice University in Texas, are turning to online classes to replace canceled classes.

Public health officials in the US recall school closings during H1N1, and the community disruptions that followed. Parents stayed at home to take care of their children, which affected the health care workforce as many nurses also stayed home.

Patty Hayes, public health director of Seattle and King County, said that closing schools could increase the risk that children who are infected but don’t have symptoms may infect older family members.

Moreover, problems have started to emerge for students in countries that have closed schools for some weeks now; doing school assignments online has impacted their average screen time, which has been reported as stressful for students at Hong Kong Academy.

There’s still no evidence that closing schools will stop the spread of coronavirus or even suppress transmission, which is why the Public Health in Washington currently does not recommend schools proactively close unless they have a confirmed case of COVID-19 among staff members or students.

Click on the original article to read the whole bulletin put out by King County, Washington public health officials.