研究發(fā)現，即使是很小的孩子也能在學校保持社交距離

研究發(fā)現，即使是很小的孩子也能在學校保持社交距離

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.

社會距離是減少COVID-19傳播的一項關鍵措施，正如我們從瑞典的高發(fā)病率可以看到的那樣，瑞典沒有嚴格執(zhí)行這一措施。一般的共識是，人們之間應該保持2米(或6.5英尺)的距離，以將病毒傳播的風險降到最低，盡管最近的一個模型表明，傳染性顆?？梢詮恼f話開始傳播到更遠的距離。

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.

其中一個爭論點是在大流行期間學校重新開學。眾所周知，小孩子是很難控制的，人們擔心如果讓他們在學校里集體上學，可能會引發(fā)第二波浪潮。也有人表達了對教職人員和更廣泛社區(qū)人員的傳播風險的擔憂。盡管如此，政府還是大力推動學校的重新開放。在英國，學校從2020年4月至5月停課，選定的年級組和一線工人的孩子將于6月1日重返小學，9月全面開學。5月18日至7月31日，英國學校發(fā)生247起新冠肺炎相關事件，116例檢測呈陽性。

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《英國皇家學會開放科學》上的一項新研究中，布里斯托爾大學的研究人員評估了自疫情爆發(fā)以來英國小學接觸情況的變化，發(fā)現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分鐘或更長時間的相互作用。他們使用了一種被稱為結構化專家判斷的方法，讓來自英國皇家學會學校網絡的志愿者填寫一份問卷。這些志愿人員是小學的領導和高級工作人員，其中33所是公立學校，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.

這些學校的規(guī)模從65到910名學生不等，平均學生人數為376人，而全國平均學生人數為282人。這些學校分布在全國各地，分布在城市和農村。

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題包括:“如果用泡泡比喻，請描述一個泡泡里的學生人數和泡泡在課堂上的大約間隔”，“請描述您減少學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covid - 19的世界里，一個普通的孩子在正常上學日會與多少人面對面接觸(對話距離在100米以內，時間持續(xù)5分鐘或更長)?”

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，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，對于4到6歲的幼兒來說，自疫情爆發(fā)以來，接觸病毒的人數減少了53%。對于年齡較大的10至11歲的兒童，接觸病毒的人數減少了62%。他們發(fā)現氣泡中有6到15個孩子。

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，由于它們只計算在一定距離和時間內的接觸者，“我們的研究忽略了更短、更頻繁的接觸者。”他們還解釋說，“這些結果所暗示的風險的顯著降低，似乎不太可能通過完全返校來維持，而不需要大幅擴大住宿空間來維持班級規(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，“普遍的共識是，在兒童完全返回時，可以在某種程度上保持距離措施，但不能達到6月和7月所達到的程度。”