Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky expects that all schools across the country will be fully open for in-person learning by September.
"We should anticipate, come September 2021, that schools should be full-fledged in person and all of our children back in the classroom," Walensky told ABC News during an Instagram Live conversation.
Walensky said that schools will be able to reopen, even if students and staff members aren't fully vaccinated. She said that while there could be two or three vaccines authorized for use in children over the age of 12 by the summer, it could take several more months before the vaccines will be approved in younger kids.
She said that schools can return to full in-person learning but will still have to take precautions to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
"We can vaccinate teachers, we can test, there's so much we can do," Walensky said.
She urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible so the country can begin to return to normal.
"I would say still practice the mitigation strategies, still mask, still distance, try and keep the crowds to a minimum," Walensky said. "Because I really do think that when we get most of this country vaccinated, we can get back to a healthier, more normal evening at the baseball field."
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