New research finds that, when schools practice mandatory masking, social distancing, and frequent hand-washing, COVID-19 transmission is rare.

The pilot study in Missouri shows that’s the case even with close contact of those who test positive for the virus.

A close contact refers to anyone who has been within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period with someone infected with COVID-19.

The findings, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, mirror those of schools in other states, demonstrating that COVID-19 prevention efforts can significantly curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among students, teachers, and staff.

“This work is imperative because keeping kids in school provides not only educational enrichment but also social, psychological, and emotional health benefits, particularly for students who rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical, and mental health support,” says senior author Johanna S. Salzer, a veterinary medical officer with the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

The pilot study involved 57 in Missouri’s Pattonville School District in St. Louis County and the Springfield Public School District in Greene County, as well as two private schools in St. Louis County. All schools in the pilot study required students, teachers, staff, and visitors to wear masks while on campus or buses.

Other safety measures included a focus on hand hygiene, deep cleaning of facilities, physical distancing in classrooms, daily symptom screenings for COVID-19, installing physical barriers between teachers and students, offering virtual learning options, and increasing ventilation.

Read the full article about COVID-19 spread in schools by Kristina Sauerwein at Futurity.