研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使是很小的孩子也能在學(xué)校保持社交距離

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使是很小的孩子也能在學(xué)校保持社交距離

Social distancing has been a key measure in reducing the spread of COVID-19, as we can see from the high rates in Sweden, where it was not strictly enforced. The general consensus is that people should stay 2 meters (or 6.5 feet) away from each other to minimize the risk of passing on the virus, although a recent model suggested that infectious particles could spread further than this distance just from speaking.

社會(huì)距離是減少COVID-19傳播的一項(xiàng)關(guān)鍵措施，正如我們從瑞典的高發(fā)病率可以看到的那樣，瑞典沒(méi)有嚴(yán)格執(zhí)行這一措施。一般的共識(shí)是，人們之間應(yīng)該保持2米(或6.5英尺)的距離，以將病毒傳播的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)降到最低，盡管最近的一個(gè)模型表明，傳染性顆?？梢詮恼f(shuō)話(huà)開(kāi)始傳播到更遠(yuǎn)的距離。

One point of contention has been the reopening of schools during the pandemic. Young children are notoriously hard to control, with fears that letting them loose en masse in schools would contribute to a second wave. Concerns over transmission risk to teaching staff and those in the wider community have also been voiced. Despite this, there has been a considerable push to open up schools again. In the UK, schools shut from April to May 2020, with selected year groups and children of frontline workers returning to primary school on June 1, with a full re-opening in September. Between May 18 and July 31, 247 COVID-19 related incidents happened in UK schools, with 116 cases testing positive.

其中一個(gè)爭(zhēng)論點(diǎn)是在大流行期間學(xué)校重新開(kāi)學(xué)。眾所周知，小孩子是很難控制的，人們擔(dān)心如果讓他們?cè)趯W(xué)校里集體上學(xué)，可能會(huì)引發(fā)第二波浪潮。也有人表達(dá)了對(duì)教職人員和更廣泛社區(qū)人員的傳播風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的擔(dān)憂(yōu)。盡管如此，政府還是大力推動(dòng)學(xué)校的重新開(kāi)放。在英國(guó)，學(xué)校從2020年4月至5月停課，選定的年級(jí)組和一線(xiàn)工人的孩子將于6月1日重返小學(xué)，9月全面開(kāi)學(xué)。5月18日至7月31日，英國(guó)學(xué)校發(fā)生247起新冠肺炎相關(guān)事件，116例檢測(cè)呈陽(yáng)性。

In a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from the University of Bristol assessed how contact in UK primary schools has changed since the pandemic hit, and found that measures to reduce the spread of COVID reduced close in-person contacts by 50-62 percent in young children.

在發(fā)表在《英國(guó)皇家學(xué)會(huì)開(kāi)放科學(xué)》上的一項(xiàng)新研究中，布里斯托爾大學(xué)的研究人員評(píng)估了自疫情爆發(fā)以來(lái)英國(guó)小學(xué)接觸情況的變化，發(fā)現(xiàn)減少新冠病毒傳播的措施將幼兒的近距離接觸減少了50%至62%。

Francesca Benson MSci

They defined “contacts” as an interaction at a spacing of 1 meter (3.3 feet) or less, for five minutes or more. They used a method called structured expert judgment, with volunteers from the Royal Society Schools Network filling out a questionnaire. These volunteers were leaders and senior staff in primary schools, 33 of which were state schools and one of which was not.

他們將“接觸”定義為間隔1米(3.3英尺)以下、持續(xù)5分鐘或更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的相互作用。他們使用了一種被稱(chēng)為結(jié)構(gòu)化專(zhuān)家判斷的方法，讓來(lái)自英國(guó)皇家學(xué)會(huì)學(xué)校網(wǎng)絡(luò)的志愿者填寫(xiě)一份問(wèn)卷。這些志愿人員是小學(xué)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和高級(jí)工作人員，其中33所是公立學(xué)校，一所不是。

The schools ranged in size from 65 to 910 students, with an average of 376 compared to the national average of 282. The schools were well spread around the country, with a mix of urban and rural locations.

這些學(xué)校的規(guī)模從65到910名學(xué)生不等，平均學(xué)生人數(shù)為376人，而全國(guó)平均學(xué)生人數(shù)為282人。這些學(xué)校分布在全國(guó)各地，分布在城市和農(nóng)村。

Questions the volunteers were asked to answer included: “If you use bubbles please describe the number of pupils in a bubble and the approximate spacing between bubbles during class time”, “Please describe your strategy to reduce close contacts between pupils”, “What is your policy if a parent or another relative of a child contracts COVID19?”, and “How many people does a typical child come into face-to-face contact with (conversation within 1 m for 5 min or more) on a normal school day in a covid free world? / on a new normal school day?”

志愿者們被要求回答的問(wèn)題包括:“如果用泡泡比喻，請(qǐng)描述一個(gè)泡泡里的學(xué)生人數(shù)和泡泡在課堂上的大約間隔”，“請(qǐng)描述您減少學(xué)生之間密切接觸的策略”，“如果兒童的父母或其他親屬感染covid - 19，您的政策是什么?”以及“在無(wú)covid - 19的世界里，一個(gè)普通的孩子在正常上學(xué)日會(huì)與多少人面對(duì)面接觸(對(duì)話(huà)距離在100米以?xún)?nèi)，時(shí)間持續(xù)5分鐘或更長(zhǎng))?”

Before the pandemic, teaching staff made an average of 26 contacts per day – two-thirds of which were with children. The researchers found that contacts between adults and children had been reduced by five times during the pandemic, stating that “Given that mixing with groups of children is part of the job of classroom staff the reduction is impressive.”

在大流行之前，教師每天平均接觸26人，其中三分之二是兒童。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在流感大流行期間，成人和兒童之間的接觸減少了5倍，并表示“考慮到與不同的兒童群體的接觸是課堂工作人員的工作之一，這種減少是令人印象深刻的。”

They found that for younger children, between the ages of 4 and 6, contacts had reduced by 53 percent since the pandemic hit. For older children, between the ages of 10 and 11, contacts were reduced by 62 percent. They found that bubbles contained between 6 and 15 children.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，對(duì)于4到6歲的幼兒來(lái)說(shuō)，自疫情爆發(fā)以來(lái)，接觸病毒的人數(shù)減少了53%。對(duì)于年齡較大的10至11歲的兒童，接觸病毒的人數(shù)減少了62%。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)氣泡中有6到15個(gè)孩子。

The authors of the study point out that, as they only counted contacts at a certain distance and time, “Our study misses out on shorter more frequent contacts.” They also explain that “It seems unlikely that the significant reduction of risk, implied by these results, can be maintained with a full return to school without greatly expanding the accommodation to maintain reduced class sizes.”

該研究的作者指出，由于它們只計(jì)算在一定距離和時(shí)間內(nèi)的接觸者，“我們的研究忽略了更短、更頻繁的接觸者。”他們還解釋說(shuō)，“這些結(jié)果所暗示的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的顯著降低，似乎不太可能通過(guò)完全返校來(lái)維持，而不需要大幅擴(kuò)大住宿空間來(lái)維持班級(jí)規(guī)模。”

In conclusion, they stated that “there is a broad consensus that physical distancing measures can be maintained to some extent with a full return of children, but not to the same extent as achieved in June and July.”

最后，他們說(shuō)，“普遍的共識(shí)是，在兒童完全返回時(shí)，可以在某種程度上保持距離措施，但不能達(dá)到6月和7月所達(dá)到的程度。”