New Report Models COVID-19 Infection Rates In Washington State As Schools Reopen

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – A new report looking at the impact of opening Washington schools in the fall says that various measures – including masks and physical distancing – may be able to ensure that sending students back to the classroom doesn’t increase transmission of the coronavirus, but only if community-wide activity of COVID-19 remains low.

The report, based on King County data, showed various scenarios that included grouping students by age, physical distancing, wearing masks, as well as screening staff and students for symptoms daily.

It found that reopening schools without any of the above countermeasures could lead to a doubling in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the county between September and December.