Scientific evidence shows schools can clearly be opened

The following article was published by The BMJ last February 23, 2021. It was written by Sarah Lewis, professor of molecular epidemiology, Alasdair Munro, Senior clinical research fellow pediatric infectious diseases, George Davey Smith, professor of clinical epidemiology, and Allyson Pollock, professor of public health.

In it, the authors stress the need to prioritize the reopening of schools by reviewing the local and international literature showing that schools and children have never been a major source of infection. Moreover, the authors say that even though teachers’ exposure increase with the reopening of schools, the evidence suggests that “teachers and school staff are not at higher risk of hospital admission or death from COVID-19 compared with other workers. Teacher absence because of confirmed COVID-19 in England was similar in primary and secondary schools in the autumn term”.

Editor’s Note: This article is another addition to the growing literature pointing to the fact that school closures were a mistake, and should not have been allowed to drag on for months.

In the Philippines, where the academic year 2020-2021 is coming to a close, plans for face-to-face classes should already be starting as there is no shortage of studies pointing to this fact: there is no reason to prevent children from going back to school.