Reopening schools and businesses: CDC releases ‘decision tool’ to help guide states

A new “decision tool” to help schools, businesses and other organizations determine when to reopen was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, according to the Associated Press.

The guidance comes in the form of six one-page documents indicating what communities should consider before reopening, AP reported. The detailed guides were released after weeks of delay and some states have already started the process of reopening, according to ABC.

The decision tools are the most specific guidelines yet, each designed specifically for businesses and workplaces — schools and childcare programs — and other specific institutions, ABC reported.

The “Schools Decision Tool” directs officials to ask questions like “Will reopening be consistent with applicable state and local orders?” and “Are you able to screen students and employees upon arrival for symptoms and history of exposure?” If the answer to any of the questions is “No,” the CDC directs the institutions to remain closed, according to the CDC’s website.

Public and private schools across the country are closed through the spring, with many planning to reopen in the fall, according to media reports.

The “Ongoing Mitigation Guidance” designed for religious organizations, offers a checklist of things to consider before allowing people to return to centers of worship,such as “Identify space that can be used to separate sick people if needed,”/ the CDC’s website says.

An earlier draft of the CDC’s guidance was put on hold by the White House, AP reported. President Donald Trump is pushing states to reopen businesses and schools, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump’s top infectious disease expert, feels the still-unknown impact of the coronavirus to children should keep schools closed, according to ABC.

“There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” Fauci told the Senate on Tuesday, ABC reported.

The guidelines are edited versions of a longer document that included even more specific decision tools, but many changes were made to allow more leniency, according to AP. The document originally advised operators of child-care centers to check for symptoms of COVID-19 in kids and workers, but the new version adds language about feasibility after undergoing review from several federal officials, AP reported.