How to Help Prevent the Spread of the COVID-19 Virus This Back-to-School Season
While some students are heading back to school virtually, others are looking for ways to stay safer while physically attending class. Here are a few coronavirus prevention tips to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus if you’re planning to send your child back to school.
Preparing for School and the Classroom
- Discuss the importance of hand hygiene and properly washing hands frequently when outside of the home.
- Label personal belongings and keep them in a cubbie or container in the classroom.
- Prepare face masks to be worn throughout the day while indoors.
- Keep your child at home if someone in your family recently had close contact with a person with the COVID-19 virus or are experiencing any symptoms such as a fever or cough.
- Ensure that school has a game plan regarding how to handle viral outbreaks and separating sick children.
Important Things to Keep in Mind
- Wear face masks whenever inside of the classroom to prevent the spread of germs.
- Properly wash your hands when outside of your home.
- Clean and disinfect any commonly used spaces by students and teachers once a day.
Returning Home from School
- Properly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Disinfect high-touch (hard, nonporous) surfaces used as you enter including keys, door handles and light switches.
- Wash and dry clothes and washable face masks separately at a higher temperature (100–125°F) for at least 30 minutes.
Prevent the Spread of Germs at Home
- Avoid placing school bags on common surfaces and wash lunch containers immediately upon return.
- Consider keeping school items in a closed storage bin or separate them from other household items to avoid transfer of outside germs and viruses throughout the home.
- Create a designated homework area to keep school books and other outside materials contained.
- After handling any school items, be sure to have the kids properly wash their hands and disinfect the household area where used.
- Clean and disinfect highly touched areas in home regularly and often to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses.
For the latest information on back to school, visit the CDC coronavirus resources: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html
