Tips for School Carpool During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many parents to rethink how their kids are getting to school. Instead of relying on the school bus for pick up and drop off or public transportation, parents are reclaiming driving duties.
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According to a Cars.com survey conducted between July 22 and Aug. 4, 2020, “44 percent of respondents said their children took the school bus before COVID-19, but during the pandemic, that number dropped by 13 points to 31 percent. Before the pandemic, 9 percent of respondents said they carpooled to school but, during the coronavirus, carpooling has increased by 2 points to 11 percent.”
Be careful how you extend your family’s bubble, though, as the CDC does not recommend have non-household members in your carpool.
“When considering a carpool with someone outside of your family, make sure that the bonus child is already in your child’s classroom cohort or pod, which is the subset of students who will be together in a hybrid class setting. It’s all about limiting who’s in your family’s pandemic bubble,” according to Cars.com writer Jennifer Newman.
If you are expanding your family’s bubble for carpooling purposes, implement safety precautions. Anyone who is not feeling well, has a fever, or shows other COVID-19 symptoms should stay home. Passengers should wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, and wear a mask. Opening the windows will increase the airflow. Don’t use the recirculation mode on your car’s ventilation system.
If possible, spread out the passengers in the car to help maintain social distancing.
“If you have a three-row SUV or minivan, you could put one child in the third row and the other child in the second row, but if your car is loaded with your own kids already, you should probably skip adding someone outside of you family to your car to limit everyone’s risks,” Newman adds.
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Remind your kids and passengers to wash their hands when they get into school. Then turn your attention to disinfecting your car.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.