So we all bring our political baggage to this discussion. Fortunately, I believe my experiences as a teacher during this pandemic should at least enlighten everyone regardless of how you feel about COVID, the seriousness and the need for restrictions.
I was wrong about my assumption that schools would be riddled with COVID. I work with 6-14 year olds and despite everyone's best efforts kids still find a away to be well within 6 feet of one another. Masks are often worn incorrectly, they still reach under these masks and scratch their face, pick their nose etc. You get the idea. But, to my surprise, there hasn't been the massive outbreaks that I predicted.
BUT, whenever you come in contact with somebody who is COVID positive you need to get a test and at the very least quarantine until the results of the test (preferably a PCR test) come back negative. Many schools don't allow family members of people who MAY have come in contact with some is positive to attend until their relative gets the all clear. Results are available anywhere from 1 to 5 days (depending on the lab ).
I work at a small school (50 kids). One of my students recently tested positive for COVID, so all of his teachers and any student he shares a class with was sent home and asked to get tested. Took me 4 days to hear that I was negative. Took another teacher 5 days. All told, the school had 23 students and half the teaching staff out. And this was because of 1 positive case. Many of our teachers teach specialty areas. Our entire school basically stopped for 4 days.
Schools cannot operate with most of it's teachers out quarantining. Regardless of the seriousness of the actual virus, if school staff is out awaiting test results the school cannot effectively operate.
So, what's the solution?