Covid measures in schools should not be more strict than those in the community.

French and Italian guidance offers some lessons.

We have known since the days of the original Wuhan outbreak that children are less vulnerable to severe disease and death than adults. Education leaders and doctors have recently said that pandemic school closures were largely unnecessary. Bizarrely, however, U.S. cities continue to impose fairly strict measures on schoolchildren while adults enjoy total freedom.

New York City, for example, will continue to ban unvaccinated children from participation in many extracurricular activities and unvaccinated parents from entering school buildings. In addition, after testing positive — the Nordic countries no longer recommend testing for symptomatic children or healthy adults— children and teachers will have to mask upon return to school. Justin Spiro, a NYC Schools social worker, notes that an unvaccinated adult can visit a Manhattan bar, but not their child’s classroom.

Spiro also notes that, while unvaccinated children — at very low risk of severe disease or death — can’t play school sports, unvaccinated senior citizens — at very high risk of severe disease or death — can participate in…