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Maryland Health Official Recommends Local Decision-Making for Social Distancing at Schools

March 18th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

New evidence that it may be safe for schools to seat students three feet apart — half of the previous recommended distance — could offer a way to return more of Maryland’s children to classrooms with limited space. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been  clear and consistent in its six feet social distancing recommendation.  That guideline has been especially consequential for schools, many of which have not fully reopened because they do not have enough space to keep students six feet apart. Now some public health experts are calling on the agency to reduce the recommended distance in schools from six feet to three.  Maryland’s acting health secretary Dennis Schrader said that while the state chooses to adhere to CDC recommendations, he acknowledges that social distancing guidelines in the schools is a decision that can be made at the local level.