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COVID and schools: the evidence for reopening safely

After a school term filled with anxiety and vitriol, researchers assess the spread of coronavirus and the prospects for a return to normal.
  1. Cassandra Willyard

    1. Cassandra Willyard is a science journalist based in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Young school pupils wearing gowns and mortarboards are led by a teacher during a graduation ceremony on a beach in Spain

Open-air learning forms part of the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school’s programme in Cartagena, Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Alfonso Duran/Getty

On a bright, crisp morning in March, Salah Guyot said goodbye to his stuffed tiger, Stripes, and his cat, Meowington, and started walking the two short blocks to Herbert Schenk Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin. He had started kindergarten there months ago, but he had only seen his teacher on a computer screen.

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Nature 595, 164-167 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01826-x

Updates & Corrections

  • Clarification 06 October 2021: An earlier version of this Feature gave the impression that Tracy Høeg’s work on school openings was done at the University of California, Davis. In fact, she did in her capacity as an independent researcher.

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