Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, described during a Facebook Live on Thursday how communities could approach reopening schools for in-person learning.
“We have now designations like green, which means less than 5% test positivity and less than 10 individuals per 100,000 who are infected,” said Fauci. “Then there’s yellow, which is 5 to 10% case positivity, with 10 to 100 cases per 100,000. And then there’s red, which is greater than 10% positive on testing and greater than 100 per 100,000 individuals.”
Fauci said those who are in the green and yellow zones should still take precautions when reopening schools.
“If you’re in the green zone, with somewhat impunity, you can feel good about sending kids back. If you’re in a yellow zone, you’ve got to make sure the schools have the capability of mitigating any risk of infection,” he said.
Fauci said important precautions include wearing masks, opening windows and having susceptible children work remotely.
“If you’re in a red zone, I think you really better be careful, and try to get your county, your city, your state, down to a yellow or green to get the children in,” Fauci warned.
“The best way to open the schools, is to get where you live closer to the green than to the red,” he added.
