As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change, so does the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Dallas County Health Department Public Information Officer Ann Cochran says when it comes to classrooms the new guidance, that came out on March 19th, is that students will be able to be a little closer than they were prior. 

“Distancing three feet instead of six in classrooms. Their modified strategies are based on what we’ve now learned about how COVID spreads among children and as an operational strategy providing pathway for schools to offer in-person learning safely.”

Cochran tells Raccoon Valley Radio this can also make an impact economically as it lends to more students being in-person learning which Cochran says means more parents could be able to get back to work full time. 

“A great part of early childhood development, and actually development up through adolescence, depends on those interactions with their peers. So, we have a whole group of children now who missed out on a lot of those opportunities this past year.”

The CDC says elementary schools should be three feet apart where mask use is universal regardless of community transmission. In middle and high schools the CDC recommends students be three feet apart where masks are universal and community transmission is low, moderate or substantial.