Teachers are central to school-related networks; we surveyed 700 about behaviors.
•
As schools reopened in the COVID-19 pandemic, close contact was common in schools.
•
Among teachers and those around them, mask use was suboptimal outside of school.
•
Survey results underscore the need for multilayered mitigation and messaging.
•
Survey estimates can inform mathematical models of infection transmission.
Background
Teachers are central to school-associated transmission networks, but little is known about their behavioral patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 700 North Carolina public school teachers in 4 districts open to in-person learning in November-December 2020 (pre-COVID-19 vaccines). We assessed indoor and outdoor time spent, numbers of people encountered at <6 feet (“close contacts”), and mask use by teachers and those around them at specific locations on the most recent weekday and weekend day.
Results
Nearly all respondents reported indoor time at home (98%) and school (94%) on the most recent weekday, while 62% reported indoor time at stores, 18% at someone else's home, and 17% at bars/restaurants. Responses were similar for the most recent weekend day, excepting school (where 5% reported indoor time). Most teachers (>94%) reported wearing masks inside school, stores, and salons; intermediate percentages (∼50%-85%) inside places of worship, bars/restaurants, and recreational settings; and few (<25%) in their or others’ homes. Approximately half reported daily close contact with students.
Conclusions
As schools reopened in the COVID-19 pandemic, potential transmission opportunities arose through close contacts within and outside of school, along with suboptimal mask use by teachers and/or those around them. Our granular estimates underscore the importance of multilayered mitigation strategies and can inform interventions and mathematical models addressing school-associated transmission.
Key Words
Transmission
Mixing
SARS-CoV-2
Modeling
Coronavirus
Behavior
Cited by (0)
Funding/support: This project was supported by the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory (Contract Agreement Number 23-01) with funding from the North Carolina Coronavirus Relief Fund established and appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly. PT receives research funding from the NIH (NIAID K08AI148607).
Study sponsors had no role in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; writing of the report, or decision to submit the report for publication.
Current affiliation: North Carolina Institute for Public Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
