Preparing for Back to School During COVID-19

As parents begin to prepare children for the upcoming school year, the common question is, how do students safely return to school during COVID-19?

Charlene Lopez, Manager of Infection Prevention at Sky Ridge Medical Center, shared tips on what families and students can do as they head back to school this fall.

Stay current with vaccines
Whether your kids will be heading back to school virtually or in-person, it is still important that all students stay up-to-date on vaccines. Lopez said, “It will be critical for students and their families to get their flu vaccine to help reduce the spread of influenza this fall and winter.”

Everyday practices and precautions
Children should be demonstrating good hand hygiene, always covering a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing that tissue in the trash. Lopez suggests, “To help keep those hands clean, have alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol and tissues readily available.”

Parents should explain how hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask will prevent the spread of germs and other viruses.

Other precautions everyone should continue to take:

• Stay home when you feel sick and avoid close contact with others who are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a mask.
• Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth because this is where viruses enter the body.
• Clean and disinfect high touch areas and objects.
• When possible, pack and bring your own lunch.
• A helpful tip for children to remember how far they should distance from each other is about two arms’ length.

Watch this fun video about good hand hygiene with your kids!

Set aside time to talk
While it is likely the classroom will look different, we don’t know exactly how it will look. Children and teens respond to stress differently; set aside time to talk and remind your children that you are there to keep them safe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a robust website and also houses responses to commonly asked questions, including how to help your child cope with stress and what behavioral signs to watch for.

Practice these tips now to ensure long-term success when the new school year begins. And remember, we’re all in this together!