The CDC estimates that the majority of over-16 Americans have some degree of immunity.

In the two-plus years since the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, one of the biggest targets of stringent health recommendations from the CDC has been public and private schools and universities. Quarantine, social distancing, and vaccination requirements have necessitated numerous changes to many of the norms of the classroom, which teachers have repeatedly expressed concern about. Going forward, however, those requirements will be taken out of action.

The CDC released new guidelines today for COVID-19 management, citing the fact that, whether due to vaccination or prior infection, approximately 95% of Americans over the age of 16 have acquired some degree of immunity against the coronavirus. As such, the CDC has deemed to relax COVID recommendations, particularly in schools.

“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC’s Greta Massetti.

Barring emergency situations like sudden outbreaks, schools will no longer be required to regularly test students and staff. As a byproduct of this, many “test-to-stay” policies, necessitating students and staff to test in order to attend school in-person, have been automatically dissolved.

“Every educator and every parent starts every school year with great hope, and this year even more so,” Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, told the Associated Press. “After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what kids need.”

Some still remain concerned over the potential of fresh outbreaks among students, believing that at least some recommendations should remain. “All of us want a stable school year, but wishful thinking is not the strategy for getting there,” said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College. “If we want a return to normal in our schools, we have to invest in the conditions for that, not just drop everything haphazardly like we’re seeing across the country.”