MEMPHIS, Tenn — Schools have laid out the basics of COVID-19 safety for students. However, an infectious disease doctor tells me parents should also be preparing their children to follow health guidelines.
“One of the biggest things is just to impress upon your kids and keep it on their mind that this is a very serious disease," said Dr. Steve Threlked with Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Hand washing, social distance, and response for COVID-19 cases are both in Germantown Municipal Schools and Collierville Schools return plans for the fall.
Threlkeld says although the notion of ‘the Coronavirus won’t impact me’ floats around the younger population, it can happen.
“There are some kids who get very sick," said Threlkeld. "You do have some kids on ventilators and get very ill from this virus. Thankfully that’s the exception but it is by no means unheard of.”
Collierville Schools says meals will be eaten in the classroom and that P.E. will be held in the gym or outdoors.
Germantown lunches will be inside classrooms and it has a social distanced recess plan.
Threlkeld says parents should be aware of their child being in groups outside of the home.
“Different kids going to different schools they need to be a little more careful about spreading it among kids and even in your family.”
In addition, parents should be on top of their school district’s action plan for COVID-19 cases.
“Will they quarantine the people who are sitting next to your child if they are infected? Will they quarantine an entire classroom?" said Threlkeld.