COVID-19 and Schools Closure: Implications for School Nurses

Abstract

[Excerpt] We are in a complex and massive crisis. In December 2019, in Wuhan, China, a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged in humans along with the associated disease COVID-19. The disease is already widespread in 213 countries with about 1.9 million cases reported by April 16, 2020. Most schools around the world have implemented physical isolation measures to prevent the spread of the infection and minimize the impact of the novel virus, while the effectiveness of school measures in coronavirus outbreaks is still unclear (Bayham & Fenichel, 2020; Viner et al., 2020). Evidence suggests that most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic (Lu et al., 2020). In addition, 91% of students in the world (more than 1.5 billion) are out of school, deprived of face-to-face classes (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2020). Therefore, it seems clear that one of the greatest challenges from COVID-19 to children is outside health care settings. [...]