Objectives for COVID-19 testing in school settings

Public health guidance
Cite:

Objectives for COVID-19 testing in school settings - 10 August 2020. Stockholm: ECDC; 2020.

The aim of this document is to provide an overview of major aspects of testing, contact tracing, contact identification and contact follow-up in school settings within the EU/EEA countries and the United Kingdom (UK).

Executive Summary

Objectives for testing in school settings:

  • To ensure early identification of cases among students and staff in order to conduct contact tracing and initiate prevention and control measures, thereby reducing further transmission.
  • To identify infection in students and staff at high risk of developing severe disease due to underlying conditions.
  • To support investigations and studies concerning the role of children in the transmission of COVID-19.

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The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing in particular on the experience in EU/EEA countries since the beginning of the pandemic. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing, and the effectiveness and impacts of school closures.