How Schools' Announcements About Covid-19 This Fall Impact a Family?

We are reaching the middle of 2021; the world has changed in this sad time of pandemic that we had to live in. At this point, there is no way to determine exactly all the damages that the pandemic has caused, not only in terms of lives, which has been the hardest but also in other aspects such as the economy of nations and social damages as a result of the forced confinements to which many governments have subjected their countries.

Different institutions worldwide have carried out several studies about the impact of the pandemic itself and the prevention measures that have been adopted, from the simple use of masks to confinement. We have learned many things from all this, and we are increasingly prepared to face what remains to be experienced in this pandemic.

Most of the efforts in the fight against COVID-19 have focused on protecting the most vulnerable sectors, one of them, children and young people. This part of the world population has had to undergo great changes in their lives, the little ones are growing up with a very different idea of ​​the world than we had at their age, without wanting to, we have transmitted feelings of fear and insecurity, their idea of ​​"normalcy" has been affected by the security regulations of their current environment.

On the other hand, young people between 14 and 18 years old have had to adapt to this new lifestyle, their environment has changed a lot, just when they began to experience new things, they had to isolate themselves from their world, their emerging social relationships were interrupted, their social life was limited to social networks and chat rooms, everything they had planned, such as parties, camping, trips, everything had to be postponed and they do not know for how long.

The changes that this sector is experiencing are currently one of the biggest concerns of parents. In the last 18 months, their children's education has been seriously affected, as teachers experimented with new distance learning techniques, the delay in education could not be avoided, students at all levels currently have not been able to comply with the educational programs pre-designed by their governments and authorities, especially in the most isolated areas and in less developed countries that do not have the minimum resources that distance education required.

As we learn from the experiences, education is now a priority, if the necessary changes are not made in education policies during the pandemic, this generation of students will be seriously affected and at a great disadvantage to face their future with the scarce opportunities that they will have due to the evident economic crisis that is looming in many countries as a result of the pandemic. It is for these reasons that the authorities in different countries have resolved that students return to schools. They are working on the design of new bio-safety policies so that the return to schools this fall provides a state of tranquility in the families of the students. In many regions of the United States and the United Kingdom, it has been established that students return to schools full-time and in person. Full-time distance learning will not be an option for most families. Distance learning will be allowed only in the event of obvious outbreaks in the local community or some other health emergency.

Each school must reopen following the health and safety guidelines outlined in each state's reopening orientation, this has become a challenge for many school districts, as if a school cannot meet these requirements, they will be able to operate through remote teaching until they can meet health and safety standards. All these determinations for the return to schools do not stop worrying parents. While many studies have been conducted, which have concluded that in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission, a degree of uncertainty and skepticism from some parents has not been avoided.

Although all the means of protection will be implemented and that in general, they will be mandatory, the possibility of transmission of the virus is latent. And the fear increases when in some states, the use of masks, for example, will no longer be mandatory when the person has been vaccinated. However, children under 12 years of age cannot be vaccinated, so they will have to continue wearing a mask. Some authorities have also found it's common that the use of masks is optional, even in classrooms. These measures would be constantly reviewed based on the contagion indicators by region.

In conclusion, the return to schools is a challenge for this management, in many cases, depending on the country, biosecurity measures will not be enough. Many families have lost their loved ones in this pandemic, and the fact of letting their children go back to school is causing them a lot of fear, parents understand the importance of their children's education, but uncertainty afflicts them, now they will have to deal with the care of their children and the security that schools can offer them.