Covid compares with head lice

As a former education and parent, I remember the occasional outbreak of lice. If a child was discovered to have lice, they were immediately removed from the classroom, isolated, parents or guardians were contacted, and they could not return until checked by a nurse to be sure the lice were completely gone. Parents of students in that class (at the least) received a letter warning them about the outbreak and urging them to check their own children.

Lice don’t put the infected child or a classmate in the hospital; there’s no risk to others no matter the underlying health conditions. Lice are visible, so it’s easy to determine who has them and are only spread through close contact.

Covid, particularly the Delta variant, is highly transmissible, its presence is not visible and can be easily passed to many people. Parents are terrified of an outbreak of lice, yet a great many are adamant that there should be no precautions to prevent the spread of Covid, and school boards are acquiescing. It makes no sense.

Debra R. Allen

Lewiston