Sending children into New York classrooms this fall should be relatively safe if infectionrates remain low, safety protocols are strictly enforced, and family circumstances dont put them at higher risk, doctors and public health experts said.

With state infection rates hovering at 1%, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Friday that school districts statewide could reopen in-person instruction pending approval of their individual plans. These would include protocols to dampen the spread of the virus causing COVID-19, testing and contact tracing, and options for online alternatives.

But medical experts cautionthat infection rates could rise in the cooler weather of the fall, as people spendmore time indoors, and urge districtsto be prepared to quickly reverse course if conditions worsen.

The risk is low, but not zero, and if were not cautious, things can flare and well have to take steps backward, said Dr. Leonard Krilov, chairman of the pediatric department at NYU Winthrop and chief of itsdivision of pediatric infectious diseases.

He said he and his wife, Barbara, often are asked what they plan to do with their daughter, Jordan, 10, wholl enter fifth grade in the fall. Weve come up with the standard line, Yes, we will send our daughter back, but with angst, he said.

K.C. Rondello,clinical associate professor at Adelphi Universitys College of Nursing and Public Health, agreed that it was reasonable to consider opening schools and that New York was in an enviable position compared to many other states.

Weve gotten infection rates down,"Rondello said. But, Having said that, there are many caveats. Just because the region of a state has met a certain health metric doesnt mean thats the right decision for every family and every child. We have to consider this is a dynamic and rapidly changing situation.

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Krilov saidthere are no cases of children hospitalized with the coronavirus at his hospital or under treatment at the hospital'soutpatient clinics, notingthat the vast majority of the children who developed a multisysteminflammatory syndromeafter a COVID-19 infection did well after treatment. More than 200 statewide contracted the disease.

He said parents should keep children home if they showany sign of illness, and added he's worried about districts not having enough resources to provide personal protective equipment, enhanced ventilationand disinfectants. Teachers, he said, should have some empowerment if they are not getting the support they need.

I like to think we wont have to close down, but we have to be vigilant and prepared to do it, he said. Its the schools responsibility, but it is also each familys responsibility to be as careful and compliant if we are going to make this work.

Krilov said he's worried more about older teens compliance than that of younger children: Im not naive. Its the teenagers that have the sense of immortality. I worry about clustering, if not in school, then after school.

Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, chairman of Mount Sinai South Nassau hospitals department of medicine and chief of its infectious diseases division, agreed it's OK to reopenschools, with appropriate safeguards and precautions.

Everyone needs to take a deep breath, he said. The alternative to school isnt absolute safety. Theyre going to be associating with other kids, theyre going to be playing.

He added, Get them into a school environment where it will be as controlled and safe as possible while recognizing that in many cases there may be exposures. But that doesnt mean they wouldnt have had those exposures playing with their friends in their yards.

Glatt cautioned parents to keep their children at home if they have symptoms of infection, including any fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Any time anyone has a sniffle doesnt mean they have COVID, but they shouldnt be going in if they have signs and symptoms of COVID, even if medication had reduced a childs fever, he said. I think everyone should be on hyper alert.

Many children with COVID-19 infections show no symptoms, but you cant do much about that, Glatt said. You can only follow the rules about masks and isolating.

In making his announcement about reopenings, Cuomo talked about COVID-19 testing by districts to monitor for infections, which surprised some superintendents, as guidelines had called for testing to be performed in conjunction with local health departments.

Rondello said districts may not have access to enough tests for routine monitoring, but at a minimum, we have to test all those we have a reason to suspect have been exposed.

Parents will have to weigh their own family members health vulnerabilities against the benefits of their child's returnto the classroom, he said.

New York was in a far better situation than other states with higher infection rates. Butpointing to photos that circulated recently showing packed hallways and unmasked high school students on their first day of school in Georgia, Rondello said, We can do better and we have to do better because thats not going to cut it.

Were in extraordinary times and we cant go about business as usual and expect the situation is going to improve. We cant create a 100% safe environment, but we can certainly do better than that."

Carol Polsky writes news and features on wide-ranging topics, from superstorm Sandy, 9/11 and presidential elections to healthcare and the economy.

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Doctor will send daughter back to school, 'but with angst' - Newsday