As of April 21, 2022, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has updated its Guidance for TK-12 Schools, Child Care & Programs for Youth & Children.
Cohorting is not required.
A cohort is a small, stable group with the same staff and children each day. Keeping people in cohorts
lowers their exposure risk by limiting the number of people they interact with. It is less important when community transmission is low.
SFDPH does not recommend cohorting if it will limit full enrollment for in-person participation. Schools and programs should prioritize full enrollment over strict cohorting.
- Staff and volunteers may work with more than one group and there is no maximum group size.
- Children may participate in more than one group each day.
- For example, a child can be with a regular group for most of the day, also attend a cooking
elective and choose between arts and crafts, dance or sports activities in the afternoon. - Single-day programs and drop-in programs are allowed. Programs can add new children and
youth at any time.
Physical distancing is not required.
Physical distancing decreases the risk of COVID-19 from respiratory droplets. It is less important in
settings where vaccination rates are high and spread of COVID-19 is low.
- Physical distancing is no longer required. Because of the importance of in-person learning, CDC, CDPH, and SFDPH do not recommend physical distancing if it will limit full enrollment.
Sports, dance, wind instruments, singing, and related activities.
Sports, dance, and activities involving singing, chanting, shouting, and playing wind instruments are at higher risk for COVID-19 because people breathe more air and breathe out more forcefully when doing these activities. The risk is much higher indoors than outdoors, and higher without face masks.
- These activities are allowed outdoors without face masks.
- As for other school and program activities, individuals may wear well-fitted masks in indoor
settings based on three factors: (1) their own risk tolerance, (2) the overall level of community
transmission, such as when future variants occur, and (3) whether the individual or someone
they live or work with is at risk of severe disease.
Recommended testing for higher-risk indoor activities
- It is strongly recommended that individuals who participate in indoor activities that are at higher risk for transmission due to heavy breathing or exertion undergo regular COVID-19 testing if
masks are not worn unless they had COVID-19 in the past 90 days
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