Editor's note

Whether children should be physically going to school has been one of the most controversial issues debated in Australia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee – the federal government’s expert advisory group for public health emergencies and management – has consistently maintained it is safe for children to keep attending school.

But this confused many Australians, as it seemed inconsistent with the other public health measures put in place, including banning gatherings of more than 100 people – a number that exceeds many school populations.

Not helping the confusion was the conflicting health advice coming from Victoria’s chief health officer, who said children should not be going to school unless there were sufficient reasons, such as their parents being essential workers.

But as we start to flatten the curve, paediatric infectious disease specialists Asha Bowen, Chris Blyth and Kirsty Short write that the broader social distancing measures apply differently to schools. New evidence confirms what we knew before – children do not become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, like adults, and they do not spread it in the way they spread the flu. The infection rarely spreads from child to child, or from child to adult.

In outlining all the evidence, the authors also note that in Australian schools that closed due to confirmed cases, there have been no secondary infections. Kids who sat next to others in class and had COVID-19, did not infect their classmates.

The health evidence is sound – as we flatten the curve, it is safe for Australia’s children to return to school.

Sasha Petrova

Section Editor: Education

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