Thread by @tmprowell

Read this case study @hcpss @GovLarryHogan @mjmsuper @HoCoHealth @MDHealthDept & tell me how we’re going to have students eating unmasked indoors without infecting all staff, students, bus drivers…(& their households…) all at once in <2 wks. Go ahead. I’ll wait. ⏳ #Omicron

https://twitter.com/alinouriphd/status/1476369203150077955

The sensible thing to do is:
1. Delay reopening or go virtual now & do a school-based campaign to get as many as possible 12+ (& 5+ who are #immunocompromised) #boosted next wk: google.com/amp/s/www.nyti…. That will decrease breakthrough cases & odds of severe illness in community.

2. Use the time to figure out how we can do lunches safely, something we should’ve figured out a yr ago w/ an airborne virus & that we are now forced to confront w/ #Omicron.

Options:
👉Eat outdoors (I personally volunteer as a parent to do some shifts to monitor outside)…

👉Consult aerosol scientists to figure out how we can improve ventilation/filtration in our cafeterias. @kprather88 has done this for public schools in CA & dev a plan that could likely be shared with @GovLarryHogan @HCPSS.

👉Or consider shorter day & send student home w/ lunch

3. Use the time to get an adequate supply of rapid tests so that we can actually screen properly & exclude students/staff who are/may be contagious from the school bldg & especially avoid having them in an unmasked setting (lunch).

4. And importantly use the time & spend the money to ensure that every staff member & student has a high-quality mask (N95, KN95, KF94) & *educate* (it’s school!) about them! I am at @HCPSS often. I see how many are in cloth masks, many with a nose peeking out. I know there are…

Teachers who let kids snack openly in class. I know there are teachers who pull off their masks & say they can’t bear to wear them anymore & are retiring soon anyway so don’t care. They teach my own kids. I can name them, right here, if you like @HCPSS.

But sending our kids back Monday with no plan for the fact that we’ll see whole schools— & many of their contacts outside of school, & many others in the community—get infected? All at once? When our hospitals are in crisis? When we had 1.5+ yrs to plan? That is a plan to fail.

I REALLY want my kids, & all kids, at school. I am happy to help schools reopen safely & I can bring you an army of HCWs w/ kids @HCPSS who will be happy to help schools reopen safely. But pretending this will be ok when we all know better is wrong, & I won’t be quiet about it.