The Hawaii State Department of Health, in preparation for Hawaii’s school reopening on August 17, have recommended that parents, guardians, grandparents, and caregivers review guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help with the decisions to consider when choosing to send keiki to school or do online learning.

State DOH notes that each family has unique needs –not just academics, but risks to your household if a child does contract COVID-19, access to meals and social services and extended daycare and after-school activities, and more.

One of the big concerns is how COVID-19 affects children and the role keiki play in its spread.  The CDC guide addresses what is currently known about COVID-19 and children, which is that they generally get less serious cases and may have no to mild symptoms.  But what’s not addressed, and not really understood, is how readily young people can spread the virus.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children — even with mild or no symptoms–are capable of transmitting the virus to both children and adults.  But evidence is still needed about the frequency and extent of transmission, though it appears that older children are likely to transmit the virus at levels similar to adults.   Click here for the KFF report, which was published July 29.

The CDC  School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians  is available to help parents and other keiki caregivers decide how to proceed.