A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds Tennessee has had the most COVID-related school closures so far this school year.
More than 400 schools in the state have shuttered for at least one day due to the virus. Three other states in the South were in the top four — Georgia, Kentucky and Texas.
Both Tennessee and Texas have blocked school districts from enforcing mask mandates while Georgia and Kentucky have let individual districts decide.
The CDC notes in the study published Friday that many districts in the South start class earlier than other parts of the country, increasing opportunities for COVID cases to appear. Researchers also point out that schools had different thresholds for when to close.
Still, the CDC says that more than 900,000 students have been affected by the closures nationwide. It recommends vaccination, universal indoor masking and social distancing to prevent further outbreaks in schools.
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