SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As public schools await word in California on when they can return to the classroom, new guidance from the CDC says teachers can do it without the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Schools can safely reopen," said Rochelle Walensky, Centers for Disease Control Director. "That safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated in order to reopen."
California has over six-million students and despite a downward trend in hospitalizations and ICU rates, those numbers remain high and public school campuses remain closed.
However, Governor Newsom believes vaccinations of teachers remains key. "We can safely reopen schools as we process a prioritization to our teachers of vaccinations," said Newsom.
ABC10 Health Expert and Cardiologist Dr. Payal Kholi cites a recent Wisconson K thru 12 study showing even without vaccines, simply enforcing masking and social distancing, had promising results.
"And what they found with all these measures, the rate of transmission in the schools was 37% lower than it was in the community meaning the schools are actually a safer place," said Kholi. "Of the people that did catch the coronavirus only 3.7% of cases were contracted in schools and they were all in the kids and none in the adults."
The Sacramento City Teachers Association says there needs to be follow-through to make sure teachers get the vaccine.
"We want to get schools open and back with our kids as soon as we can, too," said Nikki Milevsky, Vice President of the Sacramento City Teachers Association.
WATCH NEXT: Extended Interview: Doctor explains why CDC says schools can reopen without vaccinating teachers
Dr. Payal Kohli explains that while the CDC says schools can reopen without teachers getting vaccinated, it's only if students and staff are compliant with COVID guidelines and constantly taking safety precautions.
