California health expert offers tips for parents to keep their kids safe as schools reopen

The Sacramento Bee checked in with Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious disease at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, to identify ways students and staff can remain safe and healthy on school campus.

Blumberg, who said UC Davis has seen an influx of young COVID-10 patients since July, stresses the importance of masks and vaccinations for those who are eligible.

“Vaccination is the best protection against COVID,” he said. “If your child is old enough, then that’s the first thing to protect your child and to also protect the family.” The delta variant is twice as infectious as previous COVID-19 strands, Blumberg said.

While rare, breakthrough infections can still occur, but the vast majority are mild and among the unvaccinated.

Here’s more advice for parents whose children are returning to school campuses:

Wear your masks in school

“That’s the second line of defense,” he said. “It can be an added layer for vaccinated individuals.”

Blumberg said children should wear masks indoors, and if they cannot physically distance outdoors, they should also wear masks then too.

Parents should serve as role models in their mask wearing as well.

“Younger kids are more likely to follow mask rules,” he said. “Parents should feel confident that their children can follow guidelines.”

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, nearly two-thirds of parents want schools to mandate masks for students, teachers and staff who are not vaccinated.

Don’t stress about sanitizing

“It has negligible effects on COVID-19 protection” Blumberg said.

While deep cleaning, desk wiping and hand washing are important, the primary route of transmission is respiratory.

Tips for lunchtime

Blumberg said lunchtime is one of the more concerning activities.

“Ideally when the children are having communal lunch, they will stagger the classes,” he said. “If children cannot socially distance and masks are off, I think it can lead to cases and lead to outbreaks.”

Prepare for setbacks at school

Blumberg said we won’t see a straight line of improved COVID-19 infection data. There will be bumps ahead.

“I think we need to be prepared that we might have some setbacks,” Blumberg said. “But I am hopeful with proper protocols in place, we will have limited transmissions in school settings. The vast majority of children don’t get (COVID-19) from child-to-child transmission. They get it from adult-to-child transmission at home.”

Physical and mental health are important

As schools starts, so will after-school activities, sports, club meetings and more.

Blumberg encouraged students to participate as long as they wear masks when possible and physically distance as much as they can.