COVID-19 Back to School

By LINDSEY FENNER

It”™s September, which means kids are back in school! But with the Delta variant spreading in MN, and kids under 12 unable to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, sending your kids to school this year might feel really scary. Although the new variant is much more contagious, the good news is that all of the COVID-19 precautions we”™re already using are still effective against the Delta variant. We have so many tools to use! But it is important to remember that there isn”™t just one thing to do; we need to layer up these interventions to keep our kids healthy.

• Read your school”™s COVID-19 plan. Ask questions if there”™s something you don”™t understand.
• Surround your kids under 12 with vaccinated adults. Every vaccinated person helps to weaken the chain of transmission, and protect unvaccinated folks.
• Get your kids over 12 vaccinated. Although they are less likely to get severely ill, they can still get sick, and they can certainly spread COVID-19 to vulnerable loved ones, and unvaccinated younger siblings.
• Reduce community risk outside of school. Preventing spread outside of school prevents spread inside of school. This might look like: wearing a mask in all indoor settings outside of the home, seeing a smaller group of friends, doing fewer extracurricular activities.