Children everywhere are heading back to school and in-person learning. It’s important to keep in mind that many communities continue to be affected by the COVID pandemic.
As of August 22, the risk that COVID poses—based on how many people are getting infected and need hospital care—is medium to high in more than 75% of communities nationwide.
Here are 5 ways to keep your child safe from COVID as they head back to school.
1. Get your child vaccinated as soon as possible
Vaccination is the best thing you can do to protect your child from the dangers of COVID.
Since vaccines became available, people of all ages—including children—who are up to date with their COVID vaccines have been less likely than unvaccinated people to get very sick from COVID.
Everyone 6 months or older should get vaccinated. Find COVID vaccines near you at vaccines.gov.
2. Keep your child home when they’re sick
If your child has COVID or COVID-like symptoms, they should stay home from school to reduce their chances of spreading the virus to others.
If your child tests positive for COVID, follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on when and how long to isolate.
3. Test to prevent spreading COVID to others
You should test your child for COVID immediately if they have symptoms.
If your child was exposed to someone with COVID and doesn’t have symptoms, wait at least 5 days to test them. You may get an incorrect result if you test them too soon after exposure.
If your child tests positive, that means they’re infected with COVID. They should isolate, and you should tell everyone they’ve recently had close contact with, to avoid spreading the virus to others.
4. Wear a mask
Regardless of whether your child is vaccinated, they should wear a mask around others at school when the risk that COVID poses to your community is high.
If your child has been exposed to COVID, they should wear a mask around others at school for 10 days following exposure.
Don’t send your child to school if they have COVID. But if they do go to school with COVID-like symptoms or develop symptoms while at school, they should wear a mask around others.
5. Encourage your child to wash their hands often
Handwashing removes germs from one’s hands. It helps prevent getting infections and spreading infectious diseases to others.
Encourage your child to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Handwashing is especially important:
- After you blow your nose, cough, or sneeze
- Before and after you eat
- After you use the restroom
- After recess or playtime with others
If your child doesn’t have soap and water, they can use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Children 5 and younger should only use hand sanitizer with adult supervision.
