Are 3 feet of distance as good as 6 feet? Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said it’s possible.
What happened?
Dr. Fauci said Thursday on the “Today” show that the 3 feet guidance might be embraced by public health officials in the near future.
- “I think that likely will happen,” he said.
- Fauci said the CDC will analyze “that data very carefully right now. … They will reconsider about that distance.”
- In fact, Fauci said the new 3 feet research might impact more general guidelines in the future, too.
Context
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this week that it is looking through a new study that suggested 3 feet of distance might be as safe as 6 feet for space between desks in schools.
- Currently, the CDC calls for schools to have seating “at least 6 feet apart when feasible.”
The study, which was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that 3 feet of distance might be just as effective as the 6 feet of guidance, so long as everyone is wearing masks, The New York Times reports.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said the CDC will review the data and consider it for schools at large, according to NPR.
- “We are looking at these data carefully,” Walensky said. “The question actually prompted more studies to be done, so we know more are forthcoming. We’re taking all of those data carefully and revisiting our guidances in that context.”