Bars and restaurants need to consider installing sneeze guards at their registration areas. Public transport workers should close each other row of their buses' seats. Students on the other hand, should eat lunch inside their classrooms instead of cafeterias. 

These are few of the social distancing guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC enumerated in a document it discreetly released on its website this week, as it outlined its recommendations for the reopening of schools, child care programs, restaurants, and mass transits across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document, 60 pages in all, which was posted on the website of CDC without a declaration from the public health agency accompanying it, took place a few weeks after several states announced they have already ended, or partially ended their lockdown measures.

More so, the document is crated amid reports of conflict between the White House and CDC. Relatively, the White House recently released its own plan dubbed as "Opening Up America Again" last month that incorporated some suggestions of the CDC.

However, despite the inclusion of the CDC recommendations in its plan, the White House, reports said, it has "largely left reopening decisions up" to the local government officials and the governor.

Coordinated, National Approach Shelved

According to a report from the Associated Press, the coordinated, national approach of CDC, with more comprehensive details and limitations, had been reportedly canceled by the officials of the Trump administration." The shelving, according to the report was because CDC's approach was too specific.

CDC warned that not all companies and institutions should restart yet, according to the number of COVID-19 cases in their respective local areas. 

More so, the agency suggested a "three-phase approach" as well, for every community, each one more lenient than the last, as long as the infection rates do not spike.

Based on the guidelines posted, the first step of the plan for the school, for instance, is that, schools that are closed should stay shut. Then, in the second step, according to the CDC, they could already open applying social distancing guidelines.

In the third step, schools, for example, could be open along with distancing guidelines and limited attendance to areas that have limited contagion of COVID-19.

The CDC also acknowledged, citing the likelihood of a new outbreak that as some communities will sequentially progress through the phases of restarting, there is the probability of reactivation of the virus in some areas.

Thorough Disinfection and Face Covering 

Essentially, CDC also recommended thorough disinfection for all institutions. Specifically, disinfecting should be made in high-traffic areas such as playground equipment at schools and daycare facilities, door handles of establishments, and entrances and barriers in various mass transit stations."

Aside from disinfecting, CDC recommends too, the use of face coverings anytime, anywhere, especially in places where it would not be possible to practice social distancing. Specifically, it urged the staff members in child care facilities and playschools, as well as those directly contacting older students in schools.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security professor and visiting scholar, Tener Goodwin Veenema said she welcomed the federal guidance. However, she added, she felt that some occurrences, the wordings of CDC "Was too weak," referring to examples where the particular document termed "measures as 'considerations.'"

Specifically in the document, CDC advised that for bars and restaurants, for example, to consider designating "workers at high risk for severe illness duties" that lessen their contact with the other employees, not to mention their clients.

Veenema also added that, the tension among agencies has resulted in so much confusion. It has also spread fear. And as a result too, she pointed out, the tension has led to some confusing decision-making.

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