Young pupils won’t need weekly tests

City preschool and kindergarten students won’t have to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing required for older students when schools reopen next week because they’re less likely to catch and transmit the virus and have a more difficult time with testing, city officials said Tuesday.

“We know the risk of transmission is lower among younger kids,” city Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said.

“This isn’t to say that there aren’t situations where they may need to get tested. It’s still possible for a younger child to get infected with COVID-19 and if they develop symptoms, they should certainly get tested, as well,” he added. “But in terms of what we’re doing with the more routine testing in schools, that’s the rationale for the difference.”

Mayor de Blasio has emphasized the importance of more widespread testing when preschools and elementary schools reopen Dec. 7. The families of students in first grade and above will be required to consent to random testing in order to return to in-person classes, unless they have a valid medical reason to abstain.

City officials say they will test 20% of the students and staff in each school building each week to keep tabs on the virus in schools as community spread rises.

Random monthly testing in city schools from early October through mid-November showed a cumulative positivity rate of .28% in city schools.

Education Department officials note health experts say the youngest children are less likely to spread the virus even if they have an asymptomatic case that goes undetected.

Agency officials said they were also concerned about the challenges of testing the youngest kids without parents or guardians around. Other safety measures including mandatory mask-wearing and socially distant classrooms will still apply in the city’s 3-K, pre-K and kindergarten classes.

“Our best line of defense against COVID-19 is our preventative safety measures: Stay home if sick, wear a mask, wash hands frequently and remain socially distant,” said Education Department spokeswoman Miranda Barbot. “These steps are taken at every age in our schools and have successfully prevented outbreaks in the early childhood centers that have stayed open since March, through the worst months of the pandemic.”