WHO Europe: Despite new virus variants, no evidence schools are contributing in a major way to community transmission

The WHO Regional Office for Europe, which regularly convenes a technical advisory group focused on safely reopening schools, has some good news about variants, schools, and community transmission:

even with the wider spread of more infectious variants, there is no evidence that schools contribute in a major way to community transmission

In other words, despite the circulation of more infectious virus variants, open schools don’t appear to be responsible for Europe’s fairly critical epidemiological situation.

The same report notes that “school closures by themselves will not control the pandemic” and “measures such as physical distancing, masks, hand hygiene and ventilation, applied in an age-appropriate way, should allow schools to stay open even with increasing numbers of infected people in the community.”

Child rights — the importance of listening to child input as decisions are made about their schools — also get a mention in the report:

young people in schools need to be part of the decision-making process on prioritizing and implementing interventions that affect them

This report suggests that the case for keeping schools open during the pandemic — “first to open, last to close” — remains as strong as ever, regardless of variants.