Researchers point out risks in schools and defend distribution of masks

Measures taken by state and city governments to resume face-to-face classes this year are insufficient to mitigate new risks faced in schools, according to a group of researchers who have been monitoring actions by local governments in the fight against Covid-19 for two years.

Linked to the Solidarity Research Network, which articulates public and private academic institutions, the group defends reinforcements in the protection offered to students, teachers and employees even at the current stage of the pandemic, with cases of infection and deaths falling across the country.

In the researchers’ assessment, the precaution is necessary because most governments abandoned measures adopted last year to limit the occupancy of classrooms, which will require authorities to take extra care to contain the transmission of the coronavirus in schools.

“Child mortality and hospitalization rates in Brazil are higher than those observed in other countries, and vaccination coverage in this age group is still very low”, says political scientist Lorena Barberia, from the University of São Paulo, coordinator of the group.

The researchers analyzed decrees, ordinances and official communiqués from state governments and city halls in capital cities and created a Return to Classroom Safety Index to assess and compare the choices made by managers in the various units of the Federation.

The index ranges from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the closer the protocols adopted are to the recommendations of the World Health Organization and health authorities in the United States and Europe. The group did not examine the effective implementation of the measures in schools.

The average achieved by the 26 states and the Federal District dropped from 52 to 47 between August last year, when schools reopened across the country, and February this year. In the capitals, there was a small improvement, from 40 to 43, according to the index calculated by the researchers.

“The flexibility of the measures does not find justification in the epidemiological indicators that we have observed”, says the researcher Luiz Guilherme Cantarelli, one of those responsible for the survey. “There was even a relaxation of measures that have low cost, such as information campaigns.”

For the researchers, many managers have been negligent with the need for reinforced masks and monitoring of air quality in classrooms. The group had already identified gaps in government protocols in these two areas last year when the index was created.

Only six states (Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina), or 22% of the total, adopted policies for the distribution of N95 or PFF2 masks in schools, or recommended their use. use clearly, according to the survey.

Only four capitals (Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Vitória), or 15% of the total, announced similar measures. Several states have stopped requiring masks in open spaces, but in most parts of the country they are still mandatory in schools and other indoor environments.

In São Paulo, the state government announced this Wednesday (9) the end of mandatory masks in open places, including sports courts and school recreation yards. In classrooms, use will continue to be mandatory for students, faculty and staff.

The researchers advocate the massive distribution of high-quality masks in public schools, especially to students from poorer families. They also propose carrying out tests to identify cases of contamination and allow the isolation of contacts of patients.

Pernambuco and Sergipe are the only states that have adopted aggressive testing policies to track infections in schools, even screening students and professionals who do not show symptoms of Covid-19. Most provide for testing only on those who have symptoms.

The number of states that provide for the isolation of people who have been in contact with the infected has decreased. Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Sergipe are the only ones that maintained this policy in schools this year.

Few local governments have required proof of Covid-19 vaccination from people attending schools, according to the researchers. The survey shows that the measure was only included in the protocols of 33% of the states, including São Paulo, and 27% of the capitals.

In none of the Federation units analyzed by the group were measures announced to monitor the air quality in classrooms, with the measurement of carbon dioxide levels, a measure recommended by experts to ensure adequate ventilation in closed spaces.

“The adoption of more effective preventive and safety measures in schools depends on greater involvement of parents and teachers”, says Barberia. “There is also a need for greater coordination between the departments involved with the issue in the states, to avoid inconsistent policies.”

The researchers’ survey indicates that São Paulo was one of the states that made the most progress in improving the protocols since the reopening of schools, but the grade assigned by the group to its policies, 51, is below the average achieved by state governments, 52.

Among the capitals, the city of São Paulo was the one that received the best score from the researchers, with 59, above the average achieved by the capitals, 43. “Even so, the insufficiency of some measures shows that a greater effort is still necessary”, says Cantarelli.