School closures during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted widespread school closures globally.
• Diverse academic fields have examined the implications of these closures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss the implications of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To analyze modeling and empirical findings on the effects of school closures on disease transmission and outbreaks.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature, including economic, sociological, and epidemiological studies.
• Analysis of mathematical modeling studies, particularly those adapted from pandemic influenza models.
• Examination of empirical findings on the impact of school closures on COVID-19 outbreaks.

Main Results:

• Modeling studies on school closures and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission yielded conflicting results.
• Empirical evidence suggests no clear effect of school closures on COVID-19 outbreaks, potentially due to varied community infection levels and intervention strategies.
• The risk associated with school reopening remains uncertain regarding adult versus child transmission.

Conclusions:

• The benefits of school closures for controlling COVID-19 are not clearly quantifiable.
• The significant social costs of school closures must be considered, as they can negatively impact the health of the current generation.