In some American schools, the lifting of the obligation to wear a mask has led to more Covid-19 contaminations. In France, the situation could be different.
- In some French departments, primary school students will no longer be required to wear a mask at school.
- In the United States, in schools where the mask was not mandatory, there were more clusters and the incidence rate was higher.
As of October 4, the obligation to wear a mask in primary school will be lifted in the departments where the incidence rate stabilizes below the threshold of 50 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants. A decision that is not unanimous. Some parents are delighted with this measure, others more fearful. So, should we be afraid of the consequences of the end of the wearing of masks in certain schools?
3.5 times more likely to create a cluster without the obligation to wear a mask
A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a mask in class, regardless of the vaccination rate of staff or students. To reach this conclusion, the researchers studied the schools of two counties in Arizona, which represent more than 75% of the population of this state. They divided them into three groups: those where wearing a mask was not compulsory, those where it was imposed from the start of the school year and those where this obligation only came into force later in the year. Thus, according to them, in schools where wearing a mask was not compulsory, the risk of creating a cluster was 3.5 times higher.
The higher incidence rate if pupils are not masked
In another study, also published by the CDC, the researchers draw the same conclusion: the health situation is better in schools where wearing a mask is compulsory. According to their research, the incidence rate – that is, the number of people infected over a period of time, in a population of 100,000 – increased more after the start of the school year in schools located in counties. where masks were not mandatory.
In detail, they observed nearly 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants against 16 per 100,000 in schools where children were masked. Frightening results that scientists nevertheless put into perspective: they believe that they are not solely due to the wearing of the mask. Indeed, in this study, the vaccination rate of teachers was, for example, not taken into account in the scientists’ calculations. In other words, it could also be due to a low vaccination rate.
2366 classes closed due to Covid-19
With the upcoming lifting of the obligation to wear a mask in French primary schools, the results of these two studies are not reassuring. However, the consequences observed in the United States may not be the same in France. First of all, the American schools studied have more students because they group together the levels ranging from primary to high school. And the larger the number of people, the higher the risk of contagion. In France, on the other hand, only primary schools are affected by the lifting of the obligation to wear a mask.
On the other hand, during previous back-to-school periods, there was no resurgence of Covid-19 cases in classes in France. A trend that seems to be confirmed this fall. Indeed, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Educationpublished on September 24, 2,366 classes are currently closed due to Covid-19, out of the 527,200 in France, i.e. a rate of 0.45%.
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